Cavaliers' James Harden shows he can still take over in win over Knicks

It has not been a great start to the season for James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not at the team level. Certainly not at a personal level for Harden. He has had a disastrous individual start to the season, and it has had a majorly negative impact on the Cavaliers as a team.

Maybe Harden heard the criticism.

Maybe he still has something to prove. 

He certainly played like it on Wednesday night in a much-needed 115-107 Cavaliers win over the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

James Harden shows he can still get it done

While Harden has been an anchor holding the Cavaliers back in the early part of the season, he was a difference-maker on Wednesday and a pivotal player in an impressive win.

He finished with a team-high 32 points, while also collecting two rebounds, four assists and two steals. He was also 5-for-7 from 3-point range. That performance moved him into a tie with Allen Iverson for 11th on the all-time list for most 30-point games. 

It is his first 30-point game of the season, and only the second time he has topped 20 points. 

If the Cavaliers are going to get their season turned around and start playing like a contender in the Eastern Conference again, they are going to need more of this from Harden. The question is going to be whether or not he can keep doing it in his age 37 season. It's a big ask. Father time always wins in pro sports, and at some point even the greats lose their ability to do it night in and night out. 

They can, however, still channel that greatness in individual games over the course of the season. You saw it from Harden on Wednesday night. Now the Cavaliers just need to see how many more times they are going to get it this season.