James Harden came into Game 7 with the talent and reputation to take over, but he didn’t deliver when it mattered most. Despite his potential, he was seemingly unable to deliver on the NBA’s biggest stage, and the media backlash has been intense. Among those bashing him, Max Kellerman offered an intriguing analogy, comparing Harden’s performance to Donald Trump’s in terms of winning. In his view, expecting James Harden to perform is like expecting Donald Trump to do good for America.
According to Fox News, former ESPN host and longtime NBA analyst Max Kellerman stated that Cleveland made the mistake by signing Harden, then related it to electing Trump as president. His criticism came after the athlete’s consistent defensive setbacks led the Cavaliers to blow a 22-point lead. After the game, Knicks coach Mick Brown admitted that he planned the game around James Harden’s defense, and that it worked for him and his team.
Max Kellerman, in his podcast, said, “Bringing in James Harden to win a championship is like electing Donald Trump to fix your country.” Kellerman has been quite vocal about his political views on his programs, and it could be one reason he was he’s no longer a part of First Take. Now, since he is working independently, it looks like he is using his freedom to criticize sports, mixing politics into it.
James Harden is not looking promising right now
James Harden is being criticized, and his stats from the game reveal why. Harden scored 15 points in the game against the Knicks. He finished with a three-point completion rate of only 12 percent, completing just 1 of 5 three-point attempts. The NBA star had only one block and one steal on the defensive end, but ended up forcing 6 turnovers by the opposition on his missed shots. Even though Harden had to be the guy for the Cavaliers, right now, he doesn’t seem to offer much.
This has become a concern for Cleveland because when Harden falls short, the team’s overall performance suffers. This even happened in the first game of the semi-finals against the Pistons. Harden had 7 turnovers, which ultimately cost Cleveland the first match. But he later made a comeback, helping his team win the semis with an average of 22 points per game.
Even though Max Kellerman made an interesting and piercing criticism of Harden being similar to Trump for the team but Cavaliers can still turn this over. Harden still has the chance to prove he can perform at the highest level under pressure. He had done it earlier this season, and he could do it again. Following Stephen A. Smith’s controversial opinions, Max is another analyst who has said something harsh to an NBA player.
Published: May 21, 2026 01:15 pm