James Harden could tie Karl Malone for pretty lame playoff record

It's cool to see that Donovan Mitchell has the chance to make it to a Conference Finals tonight, something he never got to do with the Utah Jazz. It's a shame that he's doing it with Jazz playoff Killer James Harden. However, if they win, Harden ties Malone for most playoff wins by a player who hasn't won a championship.

This has been brought up before, but now, Harden has the chance to tie Malone for a record that neither would really be all that proud of, all things considered.

This is a record that no NBA player wants. It won't detract from the fact that Harden is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but it will be an elephant in the room that no one can ignore. In all fairness, Cleveland got back into their current series against Detroit because of Harden, but this poorly reflect on his pretty shotty playoff legacy.

Even more embrassing is that Malone can at least say he made three NBA Finals. Harden has made one, and that was 14 years ago. Not to mention, that was before he evolved into the true James Harden.

If the Cavaliers move on, Harden will likely surpass Malone this year

Cleveland has not lost a playoff game at home throughout this entire postseason. With the momentum on their side, it's actually pretty hard to see how they lose it now, having won three consecutive games.

But if and when they do, that will vault them to the Eastern Conference Finals. The New York Knicks have been killing it since they went down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, having not lost a game since then. But, it'd be fair to assume that the Cavaliers will give them a good fight.

If they do, Harden will then surpass Malone for most playoff wins by a player who hasn't won a title. In so doing, he further strengthens his case as the best NBA player to never win a title. Malone has arguably had the greatest case more than anyone else not just because he never won, but also because of how consistently good he was in the two decades he played in the NBA.

Harden is cut from the same cloth. He's not in MVP conversations anymore like he was at the peak of his powers, but he is still among the most lethal scorers in the NBA. If he wins a ring, then this conversation will become irrelevant in the long run, but it feels like a foregone conclusion that he will surpass Malone in this specific case.

And when he does, it won't look good for him like it hasn't for Malone (or John Stockton for that matter).

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