The Cleveland Cavaliers doubled their series lead against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, April 23. The two teams are facing off in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Over the first two games, the Cavaliers have forced Miami into making a total of 27 turnovers. Cleveland, on the other hand, has a total of 15. Darius Garland was asked about that discrepancy during his postgame news conference on Wednesday. Garland admitted that his team has been targeting Tyler Herro on defense, which has allowed them to keep control of the ball.
“Pick on Tyler Herro,” Garland said. “Take care of the ball. Don’t play in tight spaces. And pick on their weak defenders.”
Judging by Garland’s comments, the Cavaliers view Herro as the Heat’s weak link on defense. By putting him in action throughout the game, the Cavaliers are not only generating high-quality offense, they’re also wearing down Miami’s primary ball-handler and scoring threat.
Therefore, attacking Herro is a wise strategy from Kenny Atkinson, and one that Erik Spoelstra must counter in games three and four. Otherwise, the Heat could be looking down the barrel of a sweep.
Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson Praises Low Turnovers
Kenny Atkinson shared his thoughts on how the Cavaliers have been limiting their mistakes over the first two games. He also credited Spoelstra for his adjustments from game one to game two, primarily inserting Davion Mitchell into the starting lineup.
“Huge,” Atkinson said of his team’s low turnovers. “Especially with the pressure they put on us…They obviously made the adjustment, starting Davion Mitchell. It’s just a really good move by Spo. He gets into you. He obviously forces a lot of turnovers. We’ve been a low-turnover team all year. I think that’s been a big reason why our offensive efficiency has kind of shot up. That’s huge against a team like that.”
Miami isn’t a team that will quietly accept its fate. They will fight and claw to get back into the series. As such, the Cavaliers must continue to take care of the ball and execute at a high level on offense.
Cleveland Now Travels to Miami
With the first two games of the series now complete, the Cavaliers will travel to Miami for games three and four. As such, Atkinson’s team must avoid the distractions that come with being on South Beach. Furthermore, they must find a way to win at the Kaseya Center.
The Cavaliers are 30-11 on the road this season. They’ve proven capable of shutting teams down on their home floor. If Atkinson’s team can win one of the next two outings, they will control their own destiny. If they win both, then the reward will be some additional rest while they wait to see who they will face in the second round.
For now, though, the Cavaliers will likely continue looking at game tape, figuring out ways to get better and how to counter whatever adjustments the Heat make. After all, this series is just the first step on what the franchise hopes will be a run to the NBA Finals.
