Darius Garland playing with fire as Cavaliers create unnecessary hurdle

The Cleveland Cavaliers have jumped out to a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Miami Heat. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are looking like the best backcourt in the NBA, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are anchoring the interior, and the supporting cast is playing at a championship level.

Just when it seemed as though the Cavaliers were cruising to a first-round series win, however, Garland may have given the Heat unnecessary ammunition.

Cleveland's success against Miami has been as much about what they've done as it has been about what they haven't. Through two games, the Cavaliers have committed just 17 turnovers—a far cry from the 15.1 per game that the Heat forced over the final 15 games of the regular season.

When asked what the Cavaliers can do to continue limiting turnovers against a ball-hawking team like Miami, Garland directly stated that they should continue to target Tyler Herro on defense.

The Heat are already searching for ways to learn from the first two games, and this comment from Garland will only add to their motivation to right the ship.

Darius Garland takes shot at Tyler Herro ahead of Game 3

Miami may be down 0-2, but it's a team with multiple All-Stars who are coached by one of the greatest ever in Erik Spoelstra. Moreover, the Heat have reached the NBA Finals twice since 2020, albeit with Jimmy Butler previously in the fold.

Losing Butler transformed the identity of the team and franchise, but Miami still has experienced postseason players and a Hall of Fame coach.

When encountering teams of that nature, it's imperative that less experienced sides avoid giving the opponent a reason to take their game to another level. Unfortunately, Garland may have given the Heat a new reason for motivation at a time when momentum should be in Cleveland's favor.

The Cavaliers must now weather an entirely new storm that's certain to be made all the more challenging by the fact that the Heat host Game 3.

The counter to that statement, of course, is that that the Cavaliers have every reason to target Herro on the defensive end of the floor. He carries a massive offensive burden and is perhaps the most ideal player to go after in isolation.

It's also worth noting that Herro was an All-Star in 2025, while one of Garland's teammates, Jarrett Allen, missed the cut.

For all of the valid reasons to cater the gameplan to isolating Herro, saying it to the media has put significant pressure on Cleveland to perform. Miami will come out firing in Game 3, and the pressure will now be on Garland to succeed in exploiting rotations in the way he described.

If the Cavaliers manage to overcome this challenge and ultimately move on to the second round, perhaps this will be a lesson learned—or a new level of confidence gained.