CLEVELAND — Cavaliers guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden left Rocket Arena for the final time in the 2025-26 season on the same page and with a clearly stated desire to remain a backcourt tandem.

Changes are sure to materialize for the Cavs this offseason after their 4-0 flop in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks. Although it’s possible Mitchell and Harden could be separated, they insisted they want their partnership to continue, and it’s considered the most likely outcome.

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Both of them publicly defended coach Kenny Atkinson after Game 4 against the Knicks, and the Cavs are expected to retain Atkinson. Mitchell and Harden are also viewing the fourth-seeded Cavs’ sweep at the hands of the third-seeded Knicks through a similar lens.

Here are some key points from their media exit interviews on Monday, May 26:

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Donovan Mitchell and James Harden want to remain a Cavs duo

Harden, 36, said the Cavs are a “very, very, very talented group.” He arrived in Cleveland in February, when the Cavs acquired him in a trade sending point guard Darius Garland, 26, to the Los Angeles Clippers. Harden and Mitchell presented arguments about the Cavs needing more time together to reach their potential.

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“I have no doubt that this group can get there,” Mitchell said.

With Garland removed from the equation, Mitchell, Harden, forward Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen form Cleveland’s core. Mobley is under contract for four more seasons, and Allen is locked down for three more seasons.

Cavs column: Cavaliers season not a success despite how team may define it | Opinion

Mitchell and Harden are not secured for years to come, yet they spoke as if they intend to commit to the Cavs with new deals. Of course, the Cavs would also need to have an appetite to retain both players for such deals to materialize.

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Mitchell is under contract for next season at $50.1 million, but he will become eligible to sign an extension on July 7. He has a player option for the 2027-28 season worth $53.8 million. Mitchell could sign a four-year, $272 million extension this summer or wait until next offseason and sign a five-year, $352 million deal.

“I love it here,” Mitchell said. “I don’t know how else to say it. I’ve said it before I signed the other extension [with the Cavs in July 2024]. I love it here.”

Cleveland Cavaliers news: Kenny Atkinson reportedly to remain Cavs coach. Big roster decisions remain

Mitchell, 29, is a seven-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA player (second team this season, first team last season and second team in 2022-23).

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Still, the Cavs must determine whether Mitchell can be the frontman on a championship team.

“I’m very, very confident, very confident,” Harden said of Mitchell’s ability to lead a franchise to a title. “This team is not even where we’re at without him. This is his first time making it to the conference finals, and I’m sure he wants to improve and do things so we can advance and get even further. I think as a team, we get better individually, and we let front office do what they do.”

Harden has a player option on his contract for next season at $42.3 million, with only $13.3 million guaranteed. When the Cavs surrendered a player 10 years younger (Garland) for Harden and Harden agreed to come to Cleveland (he held veto power in any trade), the writing was on the wall for a longer-term commitment instead of a short-term rental.

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“Yes, 100%. Definitely. Both,” Harden said when he was asked whether he wants to return to the Cavs and whether he expects to return to the Cavs.

Told what Harden said, Mitchell replied, “I would hope he wants to be back.”

With Harden aboard, the Cavs made the conference finals for the first time since 2018 and the first time since 1992 without LeBron James on their roster. Mitchell had qualified for the playoffs in each of his first eight NBA seasons, but he didn’t move past the second round and thereby reach the conference finals until his ninth season in 2025-26. Harden has been to the playoffs in each of his 17 NBA seasons. He has advanced to the NBA Finals once (2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder) but has never won a title.

“He’s helped this group and myself get to somewhere I’ve never been, and, with that being said, that’s with three months of work, three months of prep, three months of whatever,” Mitchell said. “Now we have a full summer of conversations, of film, of working out together, training camp. You have a whole year now, right?

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“We have a whole year to kind of go over certain things and what we see, and that’s tough. You don’t always make moves at the deadlines statistically and kind of improve. A lot of championship teams don’t really do that. And for us to do that, it was impressive for sure, but ultimately it wasn’t enough, and he wants to get back to that mountaintop. I do. I want to get there for the first time. This group does, and what he’s been able to do, not just for me, but for this group, it’s special.”

Even after being swept by the New York Knicks, James Harden says he thinks the Cleveland Cavaliers ‘are the better team’

Mitchell and Harden are in lockstep about what went wrong for the Cavs against the Knicks.

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Their explanation boils down to Cleveland failing to defeat the Toronto Raptors in the first round and the Detroit Pistons in the second round earlier than seven games. The Cavs won both series 4-3 and were running on fumes against the Knicks, who beat the Atlanta Hawks in six games in the first round and the Philadelphia 76ers in four games in the second round.

“All that compounds, so now we’re playing extra games and extra minutes, and now we go into a situation where we give up a 22-point lead [in Game 1 against the Knicks],” Harden said.

If your eyebrows were raised by Atkinson pointing out analytics showed the Cavs had won the expected score in two of the first three games against the Knicks, wait until you get a load of Harden’s perspective.

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“Obviously, they dominated us 4-0,” Harden said of the Knicks. “…I do feel like we are the better team, but series-wise, it didn’t show.

“I feel like we didn’t have a fair chance, honestly. We didn’t play not one, a quarter of just Cavs basketball, like, offensively.

“We had unlimited open looks, and we just didn’t make them. And they made them. If we make shots, then this is a completely different series. If they miss shots, it’s a completely different series. But they made them.”

Anyone who has ever attempted to shoot a basketball in a competitive setting knows fatigue can cause heavy legs to affect shooting.

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“Y’all asked me a thousand times if we were tired,” Mitchell said. “I can’t tell you yes, but, I mean, we did this to ourselves, and that’s not an excuse. [The Knicks are] a hungry team. They beat us, swept us. So, I don’t want to diminish that, but we didn’t give ourselves a chance because we didn’t handle business [earlier in the first two rounds]. I told the guys in the locker room, I said, ‘Now we know.’ For a lot of us, we’ve never been here. You can’t play with your food. We had an opportunity to close both series [earlier in Rounds 1 and 2] and give ourselves some rest.

“We had an opportunity in Game 1 [against the Knicks] and then we blew that [22-point lead in the fourth quarter]. So, the two series before, having to go seven [games] — and it’s our fault — we did that to ourselves. And that puts you in a tough position against a team that’s not only been to the conference finals, knows what that takes, but also has the rest.”

It all led to the Knicks and thousands of their fans celebrating in Cleveland.

“You’ve got to own it,” Mitchell said. “It’s what happened. But what are you going to do about it? How are you going to respond? I’ve been saying this all year: How are we going to respond? And I would say our response from last season was pretty good. Can we do it again? I have no doubt we will.”

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Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Donovan Mitchell, James Harden envision Cavs partnership continuing

The stakes could not be higher as Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals prepare to lock horns in the Eliminator of IPL 2026 in Mullanpur on Wednesday. With a place in Qualifier 2 on the line and elimination awaiting the loser, there is absolutely no room left for error. Yet, while the team dynamics promise high drama, the real headline-grabber is the prospect of pure, unadulterated batting ‘carnage’ at the top of the order. This knockout clash sets the stage for a mouth-watering, boundary-heavy showdown between two of the tournament’s most destructive left-handed openers — Rajasthan’s young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Hyderabad’s aggressive talisman Abhishek Sharma.

There isn’t a lot separating Sooryavanshi and Abhishek in the Orange Cap standings. While Sooryavanshi is placed 6th, with 583 runs to his name, Abhishek is 8th with 563. If the previous encounters this season are anything to go by, the opening overs of this Eliminator will be an absolute carnival of boundaries. 

During their first meeting in Hyderabad, SRH’s batting unit put on a brutal display, but it was their second clash in Jaipur that truly set the tone for this individual rivalry. On that day, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced one of the most violent spectacles in IPL history, hammering a stunning 36-ball century. He exacted ruthless revenge on SRH’s debutant pacer Praful Hinge by smashing him for four sixes in the very opening over of the match.

However, Abhishek Sharma refused to be outshone. Leading a commanding chase of 228, Sharma tore into the Royals’ bowling attack with equal ferocity, proving that he can match Sooryavanshi blow for blow. On Wednesday night, with the Mullanpur pitch offering a license to thrill, these two dynamic openers are expected to go all-out from ball one.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Have Form On Their Side

Sunrisers Hyderabad head into this knockout clash as favourites, holding momentum and confidence after defeating Rajasthan Royals twice during the league phase. Pat Cummins‘ side finished third on the points table with 18 points from 14 matches — level with the top two sides, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans — but slipped to the Eliminator owing to an inferior net run rate.

SRH’s campaign has been a masterclass in resilience. The franchise had to navigate the opening half of the tournament without regular captain Pat Cummins, prompting the management to hand leadership responsibilities to Ishan Kishan. After losing three of their first four matches, Hyderabad revived their season with five consecutive victories to stabilise their playoff push. Cummins’ return further strengthened the side, with SRH winning two of their final three league games.

While their young bowling attack, featuring Sakib Hussain and Eshan Malinga alongside Cummins — has stepped up admirably, Hyderabad’s true backbone remains their terrifying batting unit. With Sharma providing the initial fireworks, Ishan Kishan (who smashed a brutal 91 off 44 balls in the first RR game) and Heinrich Klaasen provide lethal firepower in the middle order, alongside the rapidly evolving Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Rajasthan Royals: Third Time Lucky?

For Rajasthan Royals, the Eliminator represents the ultimate chance to rewrite the narrative against Hyderabad after two difficult defeats. They sealed the final playoff berth with a crucial victory over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, finishing fourth with 16 points after winning eight league matches.

To overcome a Hyderabad side that has consistently troubled them, Rajasthan will need to fully unleash their explosive batting lineup. If Sooryavanshi can replicate his Jaipur heroics and survive the early threat of Praful Hinge, RR possess the firepower to completely disrupt the SRH bowling plans.

Knockout cricket famously ignores league-stage history. While Hyderabad hold the psychological edge, Rajasthan know that if Sooryavanshi wins the opening powerplay battle against Sharma’s counterpart, the road to the IPL 2026 final remains wide open.

For one team, the journey continues. For the other, Wednesday night will mark a violent end of the road.

With IANS Inputs

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West Ham star Jarrod Bowen could be on the move after the Hammers were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday

West Ham star Jarrod Bowen previously revealed he was a Manchester United fan growing up as rumours suggest he may make a move this summer. Despite the Hammers beating Leeds United 3-0 on Sunday, they were relegated after Tottenham beat Everton 1-0.

The drop to the Championship is widely predicted to inflict a £100million dent in West Ham’s revenue stream and something of a fire sale could be in the works, with Bowen possibly leading a potential exodus.

While the forward’s deal at the London Stadium does not expire until 2030, the Guardian claimed United were pondering a move for the ex-Hull City star. In a boost to this reported interest, Bowen disclosed in June 2022 that he was a fan of United and primarily club legend David Beckham.

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On Sky Sports, Bowen was shown a photo of himself as a youngster, with his face painted with the St George’s flag. He was sporting Beckham’s famous No. 7 England shirt.

He said: “I followed Manchester United a bit growing up, as well, but I think I more followed him because I thought he was cool. Him growing up, me supporting Manchester United, trying to copy him with that picture and, as soon as I got sent it, I knew it was going out.”

The 29-year-old has scored 85 goals since joining West Ham in 2020 and would no doubt be an appealing option for Michael Carrick. Whilst the player could make a swift exit from the Irons, his post-match comments following his side’s relegation suggest he could stay for the duration of the club’s spell in the Championship.

He said: “I’m under contract here. I’ve been here six and a half years. I’ve had some really high moments and this is a low moment that will outweigh everything.

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“There’s going to be rumours, there’s going to be talk. Ultimately, what I see is getting this club back in the Premier League because that is where it deserves to be.”

He later reinforced the message by taking to Instagram, although he did stop short of committing his future to West Ham. He wrote: “It’s hard to post something like this when all you’re feeling is embarrassment and pain.

“I could write loads trying to explain where it all went wrong this season, but honestly what you deserve from me is an apology. Winning that trophy [Europa Conference League, 2023] in Prague was the best night of my career. Sunday was the worst.

“We just weren’t good enough. Simple as that. And that’s why the season ended the way it did. To the fans, you didn’t let us down once.

“The support home and away never changed, even when things weren’t good enough from us on the pitch. We should have given you more. You deserved more.

“One thing I know about this club is that it has the desire and fight to bounce back from this. This club belongs in the Premier League and deserves to be back there as soon as possible.”

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner shared his thoughts after clinching the Stanley Cup Final berth for the first time in his career.

That became certain after the Golden Knights completed a shocking 4-0 series sweep over the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche, capping a 2-1 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday.

Marner, who joined the Golden Knights last summer, is having his best career playoffs with Vegas. However, reaching this level was not easy for Marner, as he had some dark moments in Toronto, where he was heavily scrutinized for his lack of postseason production. The criticism has now largely vanished.

After the game, Marner credited his family for always standing by him during the tough times he had in Toronto:

“It was a special moment. There’s been some dark times in hockey for myself honestly… I’m thankful for my family. That was a moment to just express some joy and fun,” Marner said.

When asked about who he wanted to share this victory with, Mitch Marner credited his parents and his wife:

“Obviously my parents. There have been some dark moments in my hockey career, really — some tough moments that my parents have been beside me for. My wife’s been beside me too. It’s never a one man battle, all my teammates that I have had, it’s been a great road and hopefully this road keeps going”. he added.

Mitch Marner on pace to win Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP

Despite not winning anything major in Toronto, Mitch Marner could end up winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, along with the Stanley Cup, with the Golden Knights. He leads the postseason with 21 points (seven goals and 14 assists).

For the Golden Knights, it will be their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in their brief history. They have won the Cup in 2023. They’ll be up against the winner of the Eastern Conference Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens.

After going down 1-0 in the series, the Hurricanes have bounced back with back-to-back overtime wins in Games 2 and 3. Game 4 takes place on Wednesday.

Also Read: Avs fans dejected as Avalanche shockingly get swept by Golden Knights to end dominant season