CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs walk into the lion’s den on Saturday when they enter Kaseya Center for Game 3 of their first-round matchup against the Miami Heat. But make no mistake — they are the hunted.
Hostility is brewing, and it’s no longer just about schemes and rotations.
After Cleveland’s 121-112 win in Game 2, the tone of the series shifted. Not just because of how the Cavs have taken control on the scoreboard, but because of what was said after the final buzzer.
Asked about how Cleveland has kept its offense clean despite Miami’s swarming defense, Darius Garland didn’t hesitate.
“Pick on Tyler Herro.”
That quote, brief and cutting, might define this series.
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Despite Herro pouring in 54 points and knocking down seven triples across the first two games, the Cavs have made it a point to attack him relentlessly on the other end. The strategy isn’t personal. It’s tactical.
Miami’s defense ranked sixth in opponent turnovers over the final 15 games of the regular season. Yet through two playoff games, Cleveland has committed just 17 total turnovers, a stunning number against such a high-pressure unit.
Much of that control stems from exploiting Herro in the pick-and-roll. He’s been the primary defender on the screener in 50 of those actions. The Cavs are averaging 1.2 points per possession in those plays — a staggering number in playoff basketball.
But basketball isn’t played on spreadsheets. And words, even if backed by data, don’t always sit well in the other locker room.
“To go to the media to talk about gameplan and this and that says a lot about him. I’m not worried about Darius Garland,” Herro told reporters after practice on Friday. “… Somebody that doesn’t play defense shouldn’t be talking either. He don’t play any defense and we’ll see that tomorrow. He don’t play no D.”
That’s not just a response. That’s a challenge.
Garland has spent the last year preparing to shed that very reputation. He’s added muscle. He’s studied film. He’s responded to Kenny Atkinson’s demand of his defensive growth. From day one, Cleveland’s new coach made his expectations clear.
“I don’t want to hide him anymore,” Atkinson said earlier this season. “It’s playoff basketball. He’s got to accept a challenge. In a seven-game series, they’re gonna get you involved defensively. You’re gonna have to guard and still do what you’re doing offensively. So, to me, that’s probably, as a star status, a superstar status is being able to do it both ends. … And that’s gonna be Darius.”
While the Cavs have leaned into the pressure, the Heat have tried to alleviate it.
In Game 2, Erik Spoelstra altered his early defensive matchups, keeping Herro out of switch-heavy actions for nearly the entire first quarter. But Garland eventually got the switch, got the space, and knocked down a three.
Even when the Heat try to shield Herro, the Cavs find him. And they punish the matchup.
But Spoelstra and Miami have their own plans — and their own targets.
“You can’t hide,” Bam Adebayo said Friday. “That’s what I love about the playoffs. Obviously, he said what he said. We all take that personally. Not only just Tyler, we all take that personally. We got a game tomorrow at one, early in the morning, get some sleep tonight and then we get it cracking in the morning.”
That’s where the series is headed: nowhere to hide.
The tension is growing, the matchups are sharpening, and the third act is set to unfold under the harsh glare of playoff light.
Saturday’s matinee might start early but expect the intensity to reach a boiling point.
If Cleveland can continue to isolate and exhaust Herro, they’ll not only take a 3-0 stranglehold on the series — they’ll drive Miami to the brink.
Yet the biggest question might be the inverse: can Garland handle the fire he’s helping stoke?
The Cavs’ playoff fate may rest on which of the two guards, Garland or Herro, can hold up on the defensive end without sacrificing what makes them offensive stars.
Garland’s been building for this moment since the offseason. Now, with the Heat circling and the crowd likely baying for blood, he’ll need to prove he can be the “soldier” he claims to be.
But in this scenario, it’s more than that. More than the past he’s trying to rewrite. He’ll need to be both the hunter and the survivor.
Game 3 awaits. And the temperature is rising in South Beach.
