On Monday, April 28, the Cleveland Cavaliers booked their spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Kenny Atkinson’s team swept the Miami Heat in the opening playoff series.
During his postgame news conference, Donovan Mitchell praised the Cavaliers’ growth, especially when playing on the road.
“Last year, we only won one road [playoff] game. We’ve only won one road playoff game since I’ve been here until this year,” Mitchell said “And for us just never being satisfied, it’s really a test on ourselves. Understanding that, yeah, we were up 3-0, but this was our test against ourselves.”
Since Atkinson arrived in the summer, the Cavaliers have reached new heights. They’re now seen as one of the most complete teams in the NBA. Furthermore, they’re among the front-runners to make a push for the NBA Finals. A big part of their potential success will be winning games on the road, most likely in front of hostile crowds.
Cleveland will now await their next opponent. As things currently stand, they will likely meet the Indiana Pacers in the second round. Indiana was an Eastern Conference Finalist last season, losing to the Boston Celtics.
Heat’s Erik Spoelstra Humbled by Sweep
During his own postgame news conference, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra praised the Cavaliers’ performance throughout the series, before admitting that his team was humbled by Mitchell and co.
“Damn, it was humbling,” Spoelstra said. “This series was humbling. These last two games were embarrassing. Cleveland’s also a very good team…They showed us why we weren’t ready.”
Following their elimination from the postseason, the Heat are expected to make sweeping changes to their roster during the summer. However, before they can begin planning a rebuild, they must first watch and see how far the Cavaliers can go in their search for a championship.
Cavaliers Need Darius Garland
Darius Garland missed his second straight game on Monday. The impressive young guard hasn’t been seen since entering into a war of words with Tyler Herro after game two. Garland’s absence put him in the firing line for criticism, with Charles Barkley being among the most vocal.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, right,” Barkley said when Garland was ruled out. “First of all, you don’t say that…you gotta play… Tyler Herro, he may not be a great defender, but he had 34 points. Don’t act like he’s a bum.”
Garland averaged 24 points, 2.5 rebounds and 7 assists in his two games against Miami. He shot the ball at a 51.6% clip from the field and an impressive 41.2% from 3-point range. The Cavaliers will need him fit and healthy if they’re going to overcome an impressive Pacers team.
Furthermore, Atkinson will likely need to find ways of hiding Garland on defense. Rick Carlisle’s team is far more dangerous than Miami and will undoubtedly hunt the offensive-minded guard whenever the opportunity arises.
Nevertheless, Garland’s impact on offense, both as a scorer and playmaker, will be invaluable to the Cavaliers’ chances of success. As such, Cleveland fans will likely be hoping Garland is back in the rotation for the start of the second round.
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Donovan Mitchell Pinpoints Key Area of Growth for Cavaliers