Tyler Herro Issues Warning to Darius Garland: ‘Shouldn’t Be Talking’

Less than 48 hours after being singled out for a perceived lack of defensive ability, Miami Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro clapped back at Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland on Friday.

“To go to the media to talk about gameplan and this and that says a lot about him. I’m not worried about Darius Garland,” Herro said, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “Somebody that doesn’t play defense shouldn’t be talking either. He don’t play any defense and we’ll see that tomorrow. He don’t play no D.”

Cleveland and Miami will play Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first round playoff series on Saturday afternoon in South Beach, with the Cavaliers currently holding a 2-0 edge.

Garland on Gameplan During Game 2 Win: ‘Pick on Tyler Herro’

Garland made headlines following his team’s win on Wednesday night with his criticism of Herro, admitting to reporters that Cleveland was targeting the 25-year-old All-Star on defense.

“Pick on Tyler Herro,” the Vanderbilt product said. “Take care of the ball. Don’t play in tight spaces. And pick on their weak defenders.”

The Cavaliers dominated the turnover battle during the first two games of the series at Rocket Arena. Cleveland forced its opponent into 27 turnovers over Games 1 and 2, while only committing 15 themselves.

Now, with the best-of-seven set shifting to Kaseya Center, the Cavaliers will look to continue their road dominance from the regular season, when they went 30-11. That was the third-best mark in the NBA, trailing only the Boston Celtics (33-8) and Oklahoma City Thunder (32-8).

Do the Numbers Favor Garland or Herro?

As their comments suggested, neither Garland nor Herro are known for their defense.

Both guards posted a 115 defensive rating during the regular season, which ranked tied for third worst on each of their respective teams. Both Garland and Herro’s numbers in the first two games of the playoffs have been even worse, at 124 and 138, respectively.

They’ve each picked up just one steal across the first two games of the playoffs, despite being on the floor for a combined 140 minutes.

What the pair of 2019 first-round pick may lack on defense, they make up for on offense.

Garland ranked second on the Cavaliers in scoring (20.6 points per game) during the regular season — only behind Donovan Mitchell — and has been “Spida’s” sidekick again during the first round with 24.0 points per contest (second-most). Herro paced the Heat in points per game by a wide margin in the regular season (23.9) and has done so thus far in the playoffs too (27.0).

In less than 24 hours, NBA fans in Cleveland and Miami should have a better idea of which player will have the bragging rights heading into Game 4 next week.