Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland has become one of the most under-appreciated players in the NBA. Critics attempted to run him out of town after a 2023-24 season during which Cleveland won its first playoff series in six years. and continued to question his fit despite the Cavaliers' 64-win regular season in 2024-25.
If the first two games of the Cavaliers' second-round series against the Indiana Pacers have proven anything, it's that Garland's value has been severely understated.
Cleveland has found itself in a shocking position entering Game 3, trailing Indiana 0-2. It blew fourth-quarter leads in each of its losses, with both Game 1 and Game 2 revealing a lack of coordination down the stretch of games on offense.
The Cavaliers led 102-101 with 6:22 remaining in Game 1, only to be outscored 20-11 the rest of the way. It then blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 2.
The key constant across those two games was the absence of Garland, who continues to recover from a sprained toe. He hasn't played since Game 2 of Cleveland's first-round series against the Miami Heat, and a timeline for his recovery remains unclear.
Watching the Cavaliers attempt to win playoff games without Garland has revealed just how important the floor general is to their success.
Turns out, the Cavaliers aren't better off without Darius Garland
When it comes to closing wins out, few point guards are as effective as Garland. In 2024-25, he averaged 5.9 fourth-quarter points per game, shooting at a clip of .504/.387/.911 during what proved to be the final frame in 80 of Cleveland's 82 games.
Furthermore, the Cavaliers outscored opponents by 15.6 points per 100 possessions during Garland's 459 fourth-quarter minutes.
Considering Indiana is outscoring Cleveland by a margin of 65-43 in the fourth quarter through two games, it's safe to say Garland is missed. He's a proven commodity late in games, scoring with volume and efficiency, and acting as a stabilizing force for the Cavaliers' offense.
Without him, Cleveland has been making bad shots their identity—and are thus shooting 30.2 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter against Indiana.
One of the driving forces behind that inefficiency has been the disproportionate workload that Donovan Mitchell must carry without Garland. He's already attempted 60 field goals and 30 free throws through two games, all the while dishing out 13 assists.
For as impressive as Mitchell has been, it should come as no surprise that his exhausted legs have only allowed him to shoot 2-of-18 from beyond the arc against the Pacers.
There's more to be said about how the Pacers have gone up 2-0, but one team has its All-Star point guard and the other doesn't. The results have been inevitable, with Cleveland coming out flat in the fourth quarter and Indiana playing with a clear direction and directive.
The Cavaliers can only hope that Garland can recover from his toe injury and potentially save the team from falling into an 0-3 hole.