James Harden Passes Magic Johnson on NBA Playoff List With Cavs Game 4

With a must-win situation at stake, the Cavaliers looked towards Game 4 in Cleveland as a chance to get themselves back into the series.

To have any chance, they’d likely need significant contributions from their All-Star guards, Donovan Mitchell and former NBA MVP James Harden, who have shown the ability to take over games.

Harden, 36, joined the Cavaliers in a midseason trade with the Los Angeles Clippers to attempt to get them over the hump in the Eastern Conference. On Monday night, he officially achieved a major NBA milestone in his career.

According to the league’s X post, Harden appeared in his 191st playoff game in his 17 years in the league. That also moved him past NBA legend Magic Johnson for 14th on the NBA’s all-time list.

The NBA feat speaks to Harden’s ability to remain healthy and contribute to teams in the postseason throughout his career. He now trails former Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone and Boston Celtics great Danny Ainge for 12th, as each player has 193 playoff games played in their careers.

More news:Knicks Fan Fat Joe Calls Out Cavaliers for Ticket Issue in Cleveland

While that milestone is impressive, it comes with the disappointment of likely elimination, and, worse, possibly a sweep by the New York Knicks. As of this writing, the Cavaliers were down by 28 points with over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Harden previously reached the NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder years ago, when his teammates included young, emerging stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. All three players have gone on to win NBA MVP awards and other accolades, with KD also winning two championships with the Golden State Warriors.

It’s something the player known as “The Beard” has been attempting to do, and he’s played for six different teams now in his career. In addition to OKC and Cleveland, Harden played many seasons with the Houston Rockets and had stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers.

With their Eastern Conference Finals elimination seeming imminent, many questions will surround this Cavaliers team in the offseason about the direction they need to take with their roster.

The team finished 52-30, good for the No. 4 seed, but clearly weren’t good enough to win any games against a powerful contender in the New York Knicks. There’s always a possibility they’ll decide to add more star power or completely rebuild by trading roster members and getting a high draft pick.

It will be interesting to see how long Harden remains part of the team’s plan, or if he will be a short-term member of this roster in Cleveland.

More news:Celtics Legend Says He Would Remove Luka Doncic From All-NBA First Team

For more about the NBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 7:09 PM.