After sweeping the Heat, the Cavs are officially moving on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. While many predicted the Cavs to come out of the series, it’s hard to explain just how dominant the team was. Let’s try.
In Game one of the series, Cleveland maintained a lead until Ty Jerome went nuclear in the fourth quarter, making it a blowout. The 6MOTY nominee has been a major anchor off the bench all season long, and that has continued in the playoffs thus far. With an electric arena full of die-hard fans, the Cavs won 121-100—a pretty easy victory.
The Miami Heat put up a good fight in game two of the series. Going down the stretch, the Heat saw themselves down 101-99, hoping to take a game on the road. In the end, however, Donovan Mitchell activated takeover mode and gave Cleveland another win at home. This time, the score was 121-112. In back-to-back games, the Cavs pulled away.
The Heat were looking to bounce back in game three at home. The injury to Darius Garland made it seem like the game would be easier for Miami, but it was the opposite. By the end of the first quarter, Cleveland had a 13-point lead and never looked back.
This was an especially embarrassing loss for the Maiami. Tyler Herro was nowhere to be found, and because of that, Cleveland won 124-87, giving them a 3-0 series lead.
The series was over. Cavs fans, Heat fans, the media, and players knew it. Game four was one of the worst basketball games ever watched from a casual fan’s perspective.
Nobody on the Miami Heat wanted to be there. Even with Darius Garland out again, Miami showed no fight. The effort from the Heat was minimal and fans deserved better. The Cavaliers crushed the Heat 138-83.
The Cavs beat the eighth seed in the East. Which was no suprise. Some will say these blowouts mean nothing, which is usually the case if Cleveland wasn’t doing this all season.
In this series, the Cavs as a team were +122, which is the most significant differential in NBA history. Cleveland scored a franchise-record 138 points in the series’ final game, and their 55-point win in that game is the fourth-largest margin of victory in NBA playoff history. This Cavs team is different.
Will the Cavs continue to be dominant throughout the playoffs? Only time can answer that question. After the Pacers defeated the Bucks earlier tonight, Cleveland will play them in the semifinals. That series will undoubtedly be entertaining unless the Cavs continue to dominate.
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