The Cavs went to South Beach and instead of the flu they ended up taking part in a barbecue.
Fresh off the largest loss in Miami Heat playoff history, the Cavs did it to them again but only worse. Try 55 points this time. The Cavs went to Miami in back-to-back games in the playoffs and held them under 90 points and scored 120+ points.
If you hear that, that’s the sound of the most lopsided margin of victory in any playoff series sweep ever. They tried to tell us this season was different, and maybe it’s time to start listening.
In his halftime interview, when asked about the large lead, Donovan Mitchell said they’re doing what they’re supposed to be, and they didn’t want to give Miami any life. The Heat were already on life support, and they pulled the plug within the first 12 minutes of the game.
Going back to 2002, this was the largest 1Q margin in a playoff. We keep rattling off the stats because the Cavs didn’t just win, they took belt to ass.
Darius Garland who? In a likely precautionary move, Garland was held out for another game and one can only imagine what it would have been like had he played. From the time he steps back onto the court against Indiana, it will likely be 10-ish days between Game 2 against Miami and Game 1 against Indiana.
In his postgame comments, Kenny Atkinson mentioned an adjustment for the bigs to edge up a bit higher on defense – this puts more pressure on the foul line entries. So right on cue, Jarrett Allen opened the game with a steal off a foul-line entry for a breakaway jam.
It was infectious as Allen earned another steal, and Merrill followed, as the Cavs opened with three straight steals. They forced 6 1Q turnovers which is one less than they did in Game 3’s 1Q.
The Cavs were once again able to convert those turnovers into points. The Heat had 17 points total in the 1Q while the Cavs had 11 alone on points off turnovers.
A 12-3 run to open the game forced an Erik Spoelstra timeout, and was a signal the Heat were in trouble. Usually in an elimination game situation, the team facing elimination tries to come out with the first punch. But the Cavs were the ones who punched first.
Well, Donovan Mitchell may have given the first haymaker. After going 4-for-14 without his All-Star backcourt running mate, Mitchell responded with 13 points (5-for-10, 3 3PM) and 3 assists and a team high +24.
There was this Mitchell assist on his signature around-the-world move followed by a wrap around a defender for a Merrill spot-up three-pointer. Whew.
Following the Heat timeout, the Cavs never stopped. The starters got the lead to 17-5 before giving way to the bench bunch who picked up right where the starters left off. De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome each put in a basket soon after entering.
Hunter poured in 11 1Q bench points including 2 3PM. In his postgame comments, Allen talked about how Hunter has stepped up to the challenge and gotten more comfortable over these last two games after 0 points in Game 1.
Speaking of the bench: Dean Wade was the third player off the bench, and Isaac Okoro didn’t see any minutes until garbage time. We mentioned Wade playing well in stints in Game 3, and with Okoro’s shot not falling, Kenny might turn to Wade – and so he did. Wade responded with his first playoff basket in the 1Q.
The conditions for a Cavalanche were early, and often. They had a 16-2 run to start the game, and then a 23-12 run to end the quarter. By the time both Cavalanches (temporarily) subsided, the Heat looked resigned to their eventual demise.
Two things changed from the start: The Cavs got off to a quick start, and the Cavs did well in point Mitchell minutes (which didn’t happen in Game 3). The Cavs were +24 with Mitchell on the floor in the 1Q and +25 total for the first half.
By the time the 14-minute mark rolled around, the Cavs had already forced 8 TOs. The Heat tossed into another 6 turnovers in the 2Q which didn’t help when they shot 27% from the field and made just 2 3PM on 13 attempts.
The Cavs didn’t shoot that much better (40% FG) but when you get 5 3PM and 16 bench points, it certainly helps offset some of the offensive inefficiencies.
Even with all that, the Cavs still put up 29 points. And what amplified that was the continued defensive efforts by the Cavs which saw the Heat manage a meager 16 2Q points.
After the game, Allen was asked what they took away from this series. His answer was succinct but accurate: Their consistent defensive intensity. It’s going to take that all playoff series long. It first half dRTG in Game 3 was 93.3 (which is elite) and their first half dRTG in Game 4 was a comical 64.7.
The other thing that will have to continue if the Cavs want to continue is Allen’s energy and activity levels. Not that it was lacking in Game 1 and Game 2, but his impact is so meaningful when he’s on. We know there’s stretches of the season when his motor runs cold, but Game 4 is an example of what he means to the Cavs.
He finished the first half with a double-double and had a career high 6 steals. On a team was 22nd in dREB% for the season, Allen is the team’s best rebounder. He finished the season first on the team (unless you count Tristan Thompson) with a dREB% of 26.7% -- almost three full points between Allen and Evan Mobley.
The Cavs allowed just 2 Miami offensive rebounds in the first half which is the same as the 2 they allowed in the first half of Game 3. When the Cavs can limit opposing teams to one shot possessions, it helps close the possession gap which becomes so important in the postseason.
If the 1Q Cavalanche wasn’t enough, there was more in store in the 2Q. The Cavs went on a 21-4 run to just about end the quarter and put the Cavs up 70-25. If you have to blink to read that right. The Cavs were up by 35 points in the first half of a playoff game and almost tripled up their opponent on the road.
The game wasn’t even over before the Cavs had three of their largest playoffs runs in Cavalier history within the last two games. A 19-0 run against Boston still stands as the largest yet they went on a 18-0 run on Saturday and a 15-0 run on Monday.
If you thought there would be let-up coming out of halftime, you’d be wrong. Again, maybe this is a different Cavalier team?
They continued to keep their foot on the pedal with a 10-to-5 run forcing a Spoelstra timeout just two minutes into the quarter. 6 of those 10 points were off Merrill spot-up 3s as he started to feel it a little bit.
Merrill was the beneficiary of some excellent ball movement in the 3Q, and really throughout the game. The ball didn’t stick all game as evidenced by 10 Cavaliers recording an assist.
Reading “Mobley 26’ 3PT pullup jump shot” will never not be sweet. The fluidity and confidence that he’s taking and making these shots is not only fun to see but a complete game change in how defense must guard him and the Cavs. Teams are still going to challenge Mobley to beat them when it comes down to it. But he did just shoot 46% on 4.3 3PA per game and shot 37% on 3s the final two months of the season. It’s been long enough to say this is who he is.
To his development, there was also a move earlier in the game that earlier in the year might have been a travel. He’s gotten so much more comfortable and fluid with his perimeter footwork that it seems like forever that he’s been called for a perimeter travel when it used to feel like every other game.
The Heat really tried to get it going in the 3Q, but the Cavs were unrelenting. At one point the Heat scored on 4 straight possessions but the Cavs scored on 5 straight in return. The Heat actually put up 30 3Q points on 52% shooting. But sometimes offense is your best defense as the Cavs put up 39 points on 63% shooting.
The 3Q was the Cavs worst defensive quarter (what else is new) with a dRTG of 130.4 – this is nothing new. But when the Cavs can be this efficient on offense it widens the margin for error. That was one of the problems with the JB Bickerstaff lead teams is the margin for error was much slimmer and putting a lot more strain on the team’s best players.
The “Sledgehammers from Virginia” as Brad Daughtery termed them, continued their sledgehammering through the Heat defense. As has become the norm, Jerome quickly came off the bench with 7 straight points. The reached 100 points just under 4 minutes on the back end of a Jerome free-throw.
And if there wasn’t enough Tyrone Jerome already, he went and hit a 37’ half-court shot at the buzzer to put the Cavs up 48 points heading into the 4Q.
The end of the 3Q and heading into the 4Q began the emptying of the bench for both coaches. Javonte Green saw some late 3Q minutes and played just about the entire 4Q. He just about put a Heat player on a poster, did convert a clean highlight dunk and even tossed in a spot-up three – it was one of those nights.
Add a spot-up Okoro playoff three-pointer to “one of those nights” as things that typically haven’t been happening were happening all night long.
No starter, or significant rotational player, saw 4Q minutes. The Cavs had a comfortable lead, and it was time for the rotation players to get comfortable for their 2nd Round series.
Even with their deep bench playing the majority of the 4Q, they were still a +7 for the quarter.
All Tristan Thompson does is rebound, even at his age – he collected 7 of them in 12 4Q minutes.
All Tyler Herro did was collect cardio for Game 3 and 4 after promising things would be differentin Game 3 and the Heat wouldn’t lose Game 4. In Game 3 and 4 combined, Herro played 67 minutes, scored 17 points (on 6-23 and 2 3PM) with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 turnovers. The kicker was a -70 in those 67 minutes.
Herro is a good player and will continue to ascend. The back and forth was a fun one, and one that usually is reserved for playoff moments. But the way the Cavs limited Herro and made his games difficult in Game 3 and 4 should give you some confidence in what coaching can do within a series.
Strus didn’t fare as well against Herro while Merrill did his job well of living in Herro’s jersey. The difference this year is Kenny has multiple options at his disposal, and some of them can score. The last few years the Cavs were stuck trotting Okoro out there to miss shots or Cedi Osman to look lost.
The Cavs made 22 three-pointers on the game. They came 3 short of tying their previous record of 25 3PM against the 2016 Atlanta Hawks to which Kenny Atkinson was on the staff of.
Shoutout to Dean Wade with 6 screen assists and Sam Merrill with 5 screen assists on the game.
The last time the Cavs had a playoff sweep? 7 years ago against Toronto.
This will be the last game for the Cavs broadcast team. While the national TV audience is always enjoyable, it doesn’t replace John Michael, Austin Carr and Brad Daugherty.
Up next: The Cavs will wait the winner of the Indiana-Milwaukee series with it starting as soon as this weekend.
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