The Cavaliers got exactly the James Harden they were hoping for when they made the trade—and Game 3 was the perfect showcase. If they could bottle up that version of Harden and keep him frozen in time, the Pistons would have every reason to worry about the rest of this Eastern Conference semifinal series.

In Saturday night's 116-109 win at Rocket Arena, the veteran guard proved he still has plenty left in the tank when the lights shine brightest. His clutch performance silenced any doubts about age or durability, delivering the kind of heroics that Cleveland's front office envisioned when they brought him aboard.

President of basketball operations Koby Altman and head coach Kenny Atkinson might as well give this Game 3 Harden the Han Solo treatment—freeze him in carbonite and keep that version locked away for every critical moment ahead. Because if this is the Harden the Cavs can count on, their NBA Finals-or-bust expectations suddenly feel a whole lot more realistic.

The energy at Rocket Arena was electric, with the lower bowl draped in t-shirts and the crowd feeding off every big play. From pregame warmups to the final buzzer, the Cavs looked like a team finding its identity at just the right time. And for a squad built to win now, that's exactly the kind of momentum they need to carry into the rest of the series.