Game 2 Round 1: Cavs 121, Heat 112

BY: ADISON DELP

You cannot win in the NBA with 1 great player. This season, the Cleveland Cavaliers used great performances from a wide range of players to win. Some of these players include Darius Garland, Ty Jerome, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and even Max Strus.

Despite all of this, when things get tough, especially in the postseason, one player consistently rises to the challenge: Donovan Mitchell.

It makes sense. He is our superstar and can score at will when he gets going, and boy is he fun to watch. But more about him later, let’s recap the game.

1st Quarter:

Miami came out of the gate prepared to be more physical. In fact, for the first 6 minutes of the

game, the Cavaliers got bullied and held to only 7 points. The Heat quickly pounced on a 9-point lead and for a moment I got flashbacks to last year’s physically demanding series against the Magic.

The Cavs did not let this last. Darius Garland made a couple tough shots in a row and that got us going. Ty Jerome and Evan Mobley joined the party and by the end of the first quarter we had gained a 1-point lead. At this point, it looked as if we were in for a low scoring defensive game. The Cavaliers however, had other plans.

2nd Quarter:

The start of the second quarter was much different than the start of the first quarter. While

Cleveland only had 7 points through 6 minutes in the first quarter, they opened the second with a barrage and scored 14 points before quarter 2 was even 3 minutes in.

This quarter was all about the Cavs being what we all know they can be. A record setting 11

threes were made in this quarter (On only 16 attempts!!) and players like Sam Merrill, DeAndre Hunter, and Max Strus shined. At one point, snow rained down on Rocket Mortgage Field House in what was a ‘Cavalanche’, a fan favorite term this year.

This quarter ended with the Cavs scoring 43 points and going up by 17 at the half. At this point, I was hoping that we had the game put away and we would be able maintain this lead. But in the back of my mind, I knew Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat would not give up without a fight.

3rd Quarter:

The third quarter was a mostly back and forth quarter that played like a chess game between the two teams. Miami would make a move, the Cavs would counter, and so on and so forth.

Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen kept us afloat and helped maintain the lead.

Tyler Herro started to heat up for Miami and tried to put them back in the game. He did help

them start to chip away at the lead and played some good perimeter defense with the 3-point

barrage of the second quarter still fresh in his mind.

By the end of the third, Miami had trimmed the lead down to 13 and got ready to make a push in the 4th. The Cavs still had a large enough lead though and it still felt as if they might not be able to surmount the lead that the Cavs had built up.

4th Quarter:

In the fourth quarter, the Mitchells’ took over. Miami came charging back and Davion Mitchell’s 12 points through the first 6ish minutes of the quarter put the Heat back in the game.

By the 4:26 mark, Tyler Herro made a shot to bring the heat within 2 points of tying the game.

Notice how I put the apostrophe after the S in “Mitchells”. That means there are multiple

Mitchells who took over. OK, enough grammar, back to the game.

Donovan Mitchell officially took over the game. His 17 points in the 4th quarter and 8 straight

points to make it a 3-possession game with under 2 minutes left to play were instrumental.

This isn’t totally a surprise either. Donovan Mitchell averages 28.2 points per game in his 56 career playoff games, which currently qualifies as 8th best, ever!! When his team needs him to step up in the postseason, he consistently has.

Darius Garland may have come close to winning clutch player of the year, and well

deserved, but in the postseason, Mitchell is who the Cavs should look to. With some good free throws by Garland and clutch shot making by Mitchell, the Cavs pulled

away in the end.

The Cavs won the game 121-112 and now head to Miami for game 3 on

Saturday at 1pm.

Postgame Thoughts:

There is a reason Erik Spoelstra is 10-3 in game 2's after losing game 1. The adjustments Miami made definitely improved their game plan. Putting Davion Mitchell in the starting lineup

improved their defense on Mitchell and Garland, while also giving them another spark offensively.

Nikola Jovic, a new face in this series, provided a spark off the bench along with

Haywood Highsmith. Despite all of these successful changes, the Cavs simply have too much talent. While Miami put up a good fight, the Cavs have more shooters, playmakers, and defenders than the Heat.

Playing in Miami will bring a different atmosphere that will favor the Heat, but the result should not change. It is simply the case where the Cavs are a 1 seed and the Heat are an 8 seed.

My prediction;

Cavs in 5.

Leading scorers:

Heat:

Tyler Herro: 33 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists

Davion Mitchell: 18 points, 78% shooting, 6 assists

Cavs:

Donovan Mitchell: 30 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists

Darius Garland: 21 points, 7-8 free throws, 9 assists

Sources:

ESPN

StatMuse