Cavs at Heat preview and gamethread
The Cavs will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead in South Florida
The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Cavs were in control for most of Game 2, but let their foot off the gas and nearly paid the ultimate price. They’ll look to clean things up for Game 3, which should have plenty of intrigue.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat
Where: Kaseya Center - Miami, Florida
When: 1:00 pm EST
TV: TNT, FanDuel Sports Network Cleveland
Line: Cavaliers -5.5
Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Cavs injury report: Darius Garland - QUESTIONABLE (sprained toe),
Expected Heat starting lineup: Tyler Herro, Alec Burks, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware
Heat injury report: Terry Rozier - OUT (ankle), Kevin Love - OUT (personal)
What to watch for
Tyler Herro versus Darius Garland
Darius Garland and Tyler Herro are having a public back and forth about who openly doesn’t play defense worse (?), and it’s gotten some headlines as a result.
Garland, in a postgame interview following the Game 2 win, said the Cavs’ game plan this series is to pick on Herro and take care of the ball. So far, it’s worked. Herro, in response, said Garland shouldn’t be speaking about game plans to the public like that and that the Cavs’ point guard has no room to talk because he doesn’t play defense himself.
Both players aren’t stout defenders, that much is clear. The Heat gave up an additional 2.5 points per 100 possessions with Herro on the floor, but the Cavs gave up an extra 5.2 points per 100 possessions with Garland on the floor. Make of that what you will.
But both Garland and Herro are dynamic offensive players that usually more than make up for the defensive deficiencies with shot-making and rim pressure. Herro is the defector number one option for the Heat and has responded positively, while Garland has had a renaissance back to his previous All-Star form.
Should Garland be able to play, it could be a good old fashioned duel. Buckle up.
Better Bench Play
The Cavs’ bench was solid in Game 2, leading the starters in +/- (+41 combined), and they will need it again - especially if Garland cannot play. Ty Jerome was dynamite in Game 1, but did not carry that momentum in to Game 2. De’Andre Hunter was not good in Game 1, but led the bench in scoring in Game 2 with 12 points.
Should Garland have to miss the game, Isaac Okoro or Sam Merrill could step in to the spot. Jerome will likely keep manning the backup point guard spot for continuity sake.
The Heat received a plethora of help from their depth in Game 2, while the Cavs essentially asked Donovan Mitchell to save them - which he did.
The front court stepping up
Jarrett Allen had a modest nine points and eight rebounds in Game 2 while newly-crowned Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley recovered from a tough Game 1 with 20 points and six rebounds. If Garland cannot play, and maybe even if he can, the Cavs may opt to play through their bigs as a safer option of generating offense in the raucous crowd they are sure to face.