NBA playoffs: Cavaliers hammer Heat in historic 55-point blowout to complete sweep, put rest of NBA on notice
Are you paying attention to the Cleveland Cavaliers now?
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Are you paying attention to the Cleveland Cavaliers now?
Cleveland completed a sweep of the Heat Monday night with an overwhelming 138-83 win in Game 4 in Miami. The 55-point margin of victory is the fourth-largest in NBA playoff history.
The win marked a fitting end to a dominant series for the Cavs, who set the tone with a 21-point in in Game 1 and never let off the gas.
The Cavaliers advance to the second round of the playoffs, where they'll face the winner between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Whomever they face in that series and beyond is on notice: the top-seeded Cavaliers are not an afterthought to the Boston Celtics or anyone else in the race from the East to the NBA Finals.
Cavaliers' historic offense is rolling in postseason
But those paying attention already knew that. The Cavaliers entered the playoffs with a historic offense that posted the NBA's best offensive rating (121) in the regular season and the league's second-best since it started officially tracking the statistic in 1996-97.
It pairs that firepower with a defense boasting the NBA's defensive player of the year in Evan Mobley that ranked eighth in the regular season in defensive rating. This is a juggernaut on offense and a power on defense. It's a lesson the Heat continued to learn the hard way Monday night.
Cavs deliver knockout blow early
The Cavaliers raced out of the gates to a 12-3 lead that prompted a Miami timeout less then three minutes into the game. They extended that lead to 20-8 midway through the first quarter. Then they went on a 15-0 run for a 35-8 advantage with 2:08 remaining in the quarter.
By then, Heat fans sitting in the stands in Miami were surely left wondering why exactly they'd paid to show up.
Things didn't get any better for Miami in the second quarter. Cleveland extended the first-half lead to an astonishing 45 points at 70-25 before settling into a 72-33 halftime advantage.
The 39-point lead was the third-largest in NBA playoff history, trailing only those of the 2017 Cavaliers (41 points vs. Boston Celtics) and the 1987 Detroit Pistons (40 points vs. Washington Bullets).
There was no show of Heat culture or pride after halftime. Cleveland opened the second half with a 24-15 run to double up the Heat at 96-48 midway through the quarter. It wasn't long from there before each team began to empty its bench. Cleveland's bench was better.
Cleveland extended its lead to as much as 60 points at 138-78 late in the fourth quarter and threatened to break the playoff record for margin of victory (58 points) in a game. Thanks to a 5-0 Heat run to end the game, that record shared by the 2009 Denver Nuggets and 1956 Minneapolis Lakers remains safe.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's 51-point thrashing of the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their first-round series now stands as the second-most lopsided game of these playoffs.
Jarrett Allen is a force
Jarrett Allen is frequently overshadowed by his All-Star teammates Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Mobley. But it was Allen who led the team in win shares per 48 minutes this season. In fact, Allen finished third in the league in the statistic that's often an MVP predictor, trailing only MVP finalists Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and Nikola Jokić.
And he set the tone Monday night. Allen opened the game with a steal on Miami's first possession that he converted into a dunk on the other end. Miami's second possession ended with another Allen steal.
By halftime, Allen had already secured a double-double and was on pace for a steals triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and six steals. He played sparingly in the second half and came up short of the triple-double. But he'll surely be satisfied in a 14-point, 12-rebound, six-steal effort in a dominant Cavaliers playoff win.
Cavaliers did this without Darius Garland
Garland entered Monday as questionable with a sprained big toe that had already sidelined him in Game 3. The Cavaliers opted to prioritize the long run and sat Garland in a closeout game.
The decision paid off. Cleveland didn't miss a beat without its All-Star point guard, who got an extra game of rest heading into the second round.
While Garland sat, no Cavaliers player dominated the box score. Instead, it was a balanced effort in which six different Cleveland players scored in double figures.
Donovan Mitchell led the way with 22 points and five assists in just 25 minutes while hitting 4 of 8 3-point attempts. Mobley added 17 points and seven rebounds, while De'Andre Hunter led the bench effort with 19 points. Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome added 18 points and five assists.
As the final score indicates, Cleveland controlled virtually every statistical category. The Cavaliers outshot the Heat from the field (54.7% to 36%), from 3 (46.8% to 20.4%) and from the line (88% to 60%). They secured a a 51-45 edge in rebounds, a 26-17 advantage in assists and a whopping 15-4 advantage in steals, led by Allen's effort.
With the four-game sweep, Garland and the Cavs will now have some extended rest until the start of their second-round series against the Pacers or Bucks.
The Pacers have a 3-1 series lead over a Bucks team that just lost All-Star guard Damian Lillard to an Achilles injury. If the Pacers do advance, they also boast a high-octane offense and would set up a second-round series primed for offensive fireworks.
