The Cleveland Cavaliers got their usual contributions from All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
The difference, however, was the play of Ty Jerome. He finished with 28 points, five rebounds and three assists. The crew over at Five Reason Sports addressed it on its podcast.
On @5OTF_ live, @BradyHawk305 broke down what the Cavs are doing to Tyler Herro.
Link: https://t.co/wk27eKfOei pic.twitter.com/TLFItLQ9w8
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) April 21, 2025
GAME 1 TAKEAWAYS
The Miami Heat hung around for most of their playoff debut in Game 1 against the 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers, but things eventually unraveled in a 121-100 loss.
Here are some of my takeaways from the game:
Loss of Identity
The Heat’s point-of-attack defense was poor with sloppy rim protection was sloppy and messy rotations. The man to man and zone defense couldn’t get the job done. They allowed the Cavs to put up an offensive rating much higher than their already league-leading mark
It all began with the Cavs’ backcourt. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Ty Jerome combined to convert on nearly 60 percent from the field while dishing out 12 assists to four turnovers.
In addition to the Heat giving up a 124 halfcourt offensive rating, they were also not the least bit disruptive. The Cavs finished with an assist-to-turnover ratio that far exceeds the best in the league.
A Real Test
Going up against a top 10 ranked defense, the Heat’s offense also was not up to par. They finished the game scoring about 35 points per 100 possessions in the halfcourt.
The biggest difference overall was the Cavs putting up eight more shots within four feet of the rim (Heat put up just five), as well as 10 more threes. The Cavs also converted on 56 percent of their mid range shots.
