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CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers won Game 1 of their series against the Miami Heat, 121-100 Sunday night, April 20.
It's the first step in what the Cavs hope is a lengthy journey through the NBA playoffs. After a week off — and some concerns about rust — Cleveland came out firing and led nearly the entire game en route to a series-opening win.
Here are Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich's instant takeaways from Game 1, with Game 2 looming Wednesday, April 23.
The main takeaway from Game 1 is that just about everything went to plan for the Cavs, who all week emphasized rebounding and the turnover battle. They won both in Game 1 and, perhaps more importantly, disallowed the Heat from knocking them off from their intended path. For the Heat to pull off an upset in the series, they'll likely need a far higher number of possessions than the Cavs, and Cleveland was able to deny that in Game 1 by playing cleaner basketball. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were both terrific. Oh, and who saw a Ty Jerome takeover coming? He's making himself a lot of money this summer.
Donovan Mitchell driving and diving had to be encouraging for the Cavs because the All-Star guard had not played since April 6, when he suffered a sprained left ankle against the Sacramento Kings. Shaken up on a drive in the second quarter, Mitchell jogged it off and remained aggressive and full of hustle. He proved to be explosive as he repeatedly attacked the basket. With 1:43 left in the first half, he knocked the ball away from Heat forward Bam Adebayo, dived for the loose ball and roared at the home crowd after he rose. With 10:31 left in the third quarter, Mitchell made a circus shot on a reverse layup. Even though Cleveland is the Eastern Conference's top seed and Miami is its No. 8 seed, Mitchell is wise enough to know the Cavaliers cannot afford to take the Heat lightly. He set a no-nonsense, intense tone and finished with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field (2 of 9 on 3-pointers).
Game 2 between the Cavs and Heat is set for Wednesday, April 23, at Rocket Arena. The series then turns to Miami for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 is April 27.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: NBA playoffs: Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat Game 1 instant reaction
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It's the first step in what the Cavs hope is a lengthy journey through the NBA playoffs. After a week off — and some concerns about rust — Cleveland came out firing and led nearly the entire game en route to a series-opening win.
Here are Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich's instant takeaways from Game 1, with Game 2 looming Wednesday, April 23.
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Cavs vs Heat: Ryan Lewis' instant Game 1 takeaway
The main takeaway from Game 1 is that just about everything went to plan for the Cavs, who all week emphasized rebounding and the turnover battle. They won both in Game 1 and, perhaps more importantly, disallowed the Heat from knocking them off from their intended path. For the Heat to pull off an upset in the series, they'll likely need a far higher number of possessions than the Cavs, and Cleveland was able to deny that in Game 1 by playing cleaner basketball. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were both terrific. Oh, and who saw a Ty Jerome takeover coming? He's making himself a lot of money this summer.
Cavs vs Heat: Nate Ulrich's instant Game 1 takeaway
Donovan Mitchell driving and diving had to be encouraging for the Cavs because the All-Star guard had not played since April 6, when he suffered a sprained left ankle against the Sacramento Kings. Shaken up on a drive in the second quarter, Mitchell jogged it off and remained aggressive and full of hustle. He proved to be explosive as he repeatedly attacked the basket. With 1:43 left in the first half, he knocked the ball away from Heat forward Bam Adebayo, dived for the loose ball and roared at the home crowd after he rose. With 10:31 left in the third quarter, Mitchell made a circus shot on a reverse layup. Even though Cleveland is the Eastern Conference's top seed and Miami is its No. 8 seed, Mitchell is wise enough to know the Cavaliers cannot afford to take the Heat lightly. He set a no-nonsense, intense tone and finished with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field (2 of 9 on 3-pointers).
Cleveland Cavaliers' next playoff game
Game 2 between the Cavs and Heat is set for Wednesday, April 23, at Rocket Arena. The series then turns to Miami for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 is April 27.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: NBA playoffs: Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat Game 1 instant reaction
Continue reading...
