The Cavs Core Four: Evaluating their Game 4 performances vs Knicks
By Ismail Sy
Darius Garland’s Game 4
After one of the worst playoff performances I have ever seen in Game 3, Garland bounced back in a huge way in Game 4. After another nightmarish first half, where he totaled just 4 points on 1-of-5 shooting in 13 minutes of action, Garland flipped the switch completely in the third quarter.
Of the Cavs 26 points in the quarter, Garland scored or assisted on 22 of them. He finished with 23 points and 10 assists on 9-of-16 shooting. The aggressiveness he showed in the third quarter ignited a Cavaliers team that seemed to be dead in the water once again. This game showed true growth for Garland.
Most young players after having an all time dreadful performance like he did in Game 3, would roll over and give up. On the flip side, Garland put that behind him and played a masterful second half of basketball. The next step for him is playing at the same level for 48 minutes, and he is going to need to do that if the Cavs want to come back in this series.
Cleveland found something by handing him the keys to the offense in the second half. Will they keep that rolling for Game 5? They will have to if they want to stage another 3-1 comeback.