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Darius Garland’s ability to come out strong opened up the Cavaliers’ offense and forced Orlando to adjust on the fly. =
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Cleveland Cavaliers offense hasn’t been sharp through the first four games. Donovan Mitchell has had nights where it felt like he made his mark in the series specifically in Games 1 and 2, but it hasn’t been enough. And Darius Garland has felt like more of a spectator than an active participant for stretches, if not whole quarters, in this series.
You need to have your star players step up in a series against a strong defensive team like the Orlando Magic. Garland is actively passive on the floor, and it leaves the Cavaliers in an offensive void where things become completely dependent on Mitchell.
Something Garland heard from J.B. Bickerstaff, his teammates, or the outcry of the public resonated with him. Garland came out aggressive and pushed the pace for the Cavaliers. The tone he set early was aggressive, as he was willing to put his head down and go downhill often. This was something that Garland hasn’t done with regular consistency and efficiency since he
returned from his jaw injury in early February.
Garland’s game has felt overly dependent on three-pointers falling for him to have a palpable effect on the offense. When Garland can generate quality looks around the rim that aren’t predicated with the hope it will generate a shooting foul, it forces the defense to collapse and create gravity.
Garland compiled 17 points in the first quarter on 75% field goal percentage (6-8 from the field, 3-3 from three) and a plus +10 in the opening stretch. The first quarter total of 17 is more than Garland has finished the first four games with (14, 15, 5, and 14 points).
Garland finished the game with 23 points, however, the impact of his first quarter affected how the Magic perceived him throughout the remainder of the game. When Garland slipped past his defender without a screen setter time and time again, the defense was forced to choose between challenging Garland or sticking to their man.
Garland’s performance could almost act as a copy paste in terms of how he played between Game 2 of the New York series and Game 5 with Orlando this postseason. Garland started off hot and aggressive scoring from all levels of the floor (26 in the first half against New York, 17 against Orlando), dictated the pace and opened up the floor for the supporting cast sharing the court.
Both games have been the highest-scoring outputs for the Cavaliers. Also, both games are the only time in the past two postseasons the Cavaliers have scored more than 100 points. The Cavalier needed an aggressive Garland to then alleviate pressure off Mitchell and use the spacing his aggression generated to clean looks not only for the bigs but for the perimeter help as well.
Mitchell repeated an eerily similar message after Game 5. “Shoot the ball. At the end of the day, he’s a talented player. He’s an All-Star-level player, and he should shoot the ball. Be you, be aggressive.” The fact that Garland is constantly operating more as a role player, than someone who can decide entire quarters by himself is concerning.
Garland when you account for what makes him so dynamic: his ability to score at all three levels, an ability to be the straw that stirs the drink for an offense, has the waxing and waning confidence of a role player who when the first two shots don’t fall turtles under the bright lights.
If the Cavaliers want to be a team that can retain Mitchell and win multiple playoff series, Garland needs to look within himself and show that the performances we saw in Game 2 against New York last postseason and Game 5 against Orlando are not outliers but blueprints as to how he needs to play for the Cavaliers to be contenders.
