With Donovan Mitchell still leading the way, Harden has given the Cavaliers a new level of firepower that both guards hope leads to elusive postseason success.

CLEVELAND — As the minutes ticked by in the fourth quarter on Monday, a sold-out crowd inside Rocket Arena was becoming restless. The Cavaliers had largely dominated Game 2 against the Toronto Raptors, leading wire to wire, swelling their edge to as much as 16 points. Yet with 4 ½ minutes left the Raptors had sliced that lead to single digits. Scottie Barnes was cooking. RJ Barrett, too. An improbable comeback seemed at the very least possible. Until five straight points from Donovan Mitchell, then a steal and some free throws from James Harden. Just like that, Cleveland’s two-headed monster stopped Toronto’s surge in its tracks.

“Donovan and James closed it for us,” said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. “This was a superstar game.”

This was what Cleveland was hoping for when it took its swing in February, dealing away Darius Garland, breaking up its core four, betting big that Harden could propel this team to greater heights. Plenty of digital ink has been spilled on Harden—on his regular-season success, on his playoff failures, on his wanderlust when situations go south—but with the Cavs seizing a 2–0 series lead with a 115–105 win, it’s clear that this player, this talent, this was what this team needed.

In February, after Sports Illustrated reported the Cavs were closing in on a Harden deal, Mitchell made it a point to reach out to him. Over the years a friendly rivalry evolved into a friendship on Adidas-funded trips to Europe and China. They had trained together during offseasons but never really imagined teaming up. Suddenly, they were thrust together, two All-NBA playmakers at career crossroads, two stars craving playoff success.

In Harden, Mitchell saw a kindred spirit. There are 450-some odd players in the NBA but only a fraction of which understand what it’s like to play under the microscope, and all the pressure that comes with it. “It is,” Mitchell told SI on Monday morning, “a lonely place.” For all of Mitchell’s individual accomplishments, team success has eluded him. The Cavaliers had flamed out in the second round in back-to-back years, and in Cleveland they wondered if one more early exit would have Mitchell looking elsewhere. Harden brought with him an injection of urgency.

Says Mitchell, “He wants it just as bad as I do.”

Around the Cavs, praise for Harden is universal. Longtime staffers use the L word—as in, LeBron—to describe Harden’s maniacal work ethic. On Monday, Harden was in Rocket Arena around 8 a.m., firing up shots hours before Cleveland’s scheduled team shootaround at the practice facility some 20 minutes away. Told of it, Atkinson offered a shrug. “Routine,” he says. There are two practice schedules, Atkinson told me, the Cavs’ and Harden’s.

In more than two decades of coaching Atkinson has observed some special talent. He coached Stephen Curry as an assistant in Golden State, was around Kevin Durant for parts of a season in Brooklyn. He puts Harden’s drive up with theirs. “They’re just in another stratosphere in terms of what they’re capable of doing,” says Atkinson. After the trade, Atkinson watched Harden run through individual workouts. He was stunned by the speed and effort Harden practiced with. Holy s—, Atkinson recalled thinking. It’s on.

Understandably, there was some concern about incorporating a ball-dominant player like Harden in midseason. Atkinson feared Mitchell might be too deferential, bowing to Harden’s years of seniority. Nope. Mitchell continued to be Cleveland’s alpha, with Harden making it clear that he was there to support Mitchell. Atkinson describes basketball conversations between the two as the kind of discourse you should sell tickets to.