By nature, the NBA is a fairly reactive league. Recency bias reigns supreme in the opinion world, and often context can be ignored for a quick, unfinished take. The Cleveland Cavaliers have recently fallen victim to this with Darius Garland.
The Cavaliers, after taking a thunderous 2-0 series lead against the 10-seed Miami Heat, sidelined All-Star point guard Garland with a toe sprain for the final two games of the sweep. Cleveland put on a resounding performance in every game, demonstrating their dominance over an opponent who had battled through a fierce Play-In Tournament to reach the playoffs. Even without DG, the Cavs were the clearly better team.
In the four games, the Cavaliers averaged 126 points and shot 44 percent from three-point range. Everybody was firing from all cylinders, allowing the team to thrive despite Garland's absence. In his place, coach Kenny Atkinson deployed sharpshooter Sam Merrill. While Merrill couldn't match Garland's playmaking and court vision, his shooting and improved defense fit seamlessly alongside Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt.
This continued success sans DG led some in the fanbase, though a small group, to argue the Cavaliers are not only good without Garland - but better without him. Following a 64-win season, three players named an All-Star and a historically-good sweep in round one, the narrative circled around dumping a core player in an offseason that had not yet even arrived.
Cleveland needs Garland more than many would admit
With a team composed of four players with All-Star talent, losing one of them temporarily against a substantially worse opponent is fine. The Cavaliers proved that against the Heat. What they proved even more, though, is how badly a floor general is needed against a fierce opponent such as the Indiana Pacers.
In game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Cavs disappointed an excited Cleveland crowd as they fell 121-112 to the visiting Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton devastated the Cavaliers' perimeter defense, targeting big man Jarrett Allen in every possible chance he found. Indiana's fast-paced, non-stop ball movement and quick scoring tested the Cavaliers' defense. Offensively, the Cavs could not keep up, often getting stuck in their sets and resorting to isolation-heavy hero ball.
At times, it was Mitchell doing what he does best and putting the team on his shoulders. Evan Mobley was also an offensive force in the early game, ending with 20 points and 10 rebounds before he fizzled out of the offense toward the end. Cleveland's sixth man, Ty Jerome, was suffocated on his interior penetration, often heaving bad shots with little off-ball movement giving him another option.
The Cavaliers lost, but it's not time to panic. Visiting teams strive to set the tone in game one. There is no easy path to the Finals, despite constant commentary suggesting otherwise to discredit the talent in the Association. Cleveland shot poorly, and sorely lost.
When Garland is present, the Cavaliers have a noticeable difference in their offensive flow. Mitchell is a serviceable distributor; he's made it paramount in his development to be more than a scorer. There is still something irreplaceable about a crafty ball handler who can always either find an open man on a drive-and-kick action or step back for a dagger three as the shot clock winds down.
The Cavaliers need Garland's clutch gene
In the regular season, Garland ranked first in clutch points for the Cavaliers, scoring 103 points down the stretch. He shot 45 percent from deep and 53.4 percent from the field. He also tallied 20 assists while only turning the ball over four times.
Though Garland was never taken as a serious contender for Clutch Player of the Year, he was the Cavs' best option in tight games. The Pacers, with the various fire power they have, will not go down in a blowout like Miami game after game. As game one proved, Indy is going to make the Cavs earn everything. The series is bound to go down to the wire, and the Cavaliers desperately need a player who thrives under pressure.
Earlier in his career, it was obvious that Garland often fell short in clutch moments. He could not lead the Cavaliers to the playoffs after having homecourt advantage in two Play-In games back in the 2022 run that earned him his first All-Star nod. In the playoffs against the New York Knicks in 2023, Garland was inconsistent in the clutch but showed improvement.
Through trial and error, Garland has refined his mentality in difficult moments and has become the best Cavalier to close the game late. As much as the Miami Heat series proved that Cleveland is not dead in the water without Garland, a single game against Indiana proved that he has more value than ever before with this team.\
When Mobley was taken out of the offense by the Pacers' interior defense and an apparent injury that bothered him the rest of the night, Garland could have cut through the defense to get Mobley easy looks as well as add another three-level scoring threat to the Cavs' gameplan. Cleveland will hopefully see the return of their homegrown star guard in game two in an attempt to regain momentum before heading to Indianapolis.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers eyeing their first Conference Finals appearance with this core, the return of Darius Garland could be a pivotal deciding factor as to whether or not that goal is met or just out of reach.