Garland doesn't need to be a leader - Mitchell is the leader. Garland just needs to play smart basketball, make his open 3's, avoid excessive turnovers, and dish out assists when he doesn't have the shot.
He's now 20-for-34 on 3's in his last three games with 8 turnovers in 120 minutes. He's playing very well except for the layup attempts that keep getting swatted. He's 4-for-23 on 2-point attempts in those three games. Once he cleans that up he'll be a very good offensive player. He's getting swallowed up in the paint.
The Cavs allowed 107 points tonight which usually results in a win. The problem was offense; they scored just 98. Strus was off, Wade and Niang went a combined 0-for-10, and the Cavs were 3-for-8 on free throws. Add in no points from Mitchell and LeVert and the Cavs just didn't have the firepower. Merrill kept the game from being a blowout.
The refs weren't calling anything as the Cavs had 8 free throws and the Knicks had 10. It favors the Knicks when the refs are letting everything go.