Caption: The Cavs look for a 2-0 series lead while the Heat hope to split it before shifting the scene to South Beach.
The Cleveland Cavaliers look for a 2-0 series lead while the Miami Heat hope to split it before shifting the scene to South Beach.
Catch the game tomorrow at 7:30 AM, Manila time.
AWAY: Miami Heat (0-1 AWAY)
Projected starting five:
- Davion Mitchell
- Tyler Herro
- Andrew Wiggins
- Bam Adebayo
- Kel’el Ware
The Heat showed fight in the series-opener but eventually ran out of gas. The game was closer than its 121-100 final score. Nevertheless, such is the case in a 1 vs. 8 matchup, and the group has a ton of work to do.
Defensively, the guys will have to scheme wiser on the Cavs backcourt as they were burned by the Garland-Mitchell backcourt, and back-up point guard Ty Jerome. Had they managed to be just a tad better, there’s a good chance we’re talking about this very, very differently.
Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo each notched 20-plus points in Game 1, while Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell added 14 and 18, respectively. Beyond that, there was no one notable. Rookie Kel’el Ware, who’s intriguing because of his solid regular season, had a rough playoff debut as he only mustered two points and three rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra has stirred plenty of underdog Heat teams deep into the playoffs, but this one’s raw compared to the 2023 and 2020 finals teams, so we’ll see how much magic he can do.
HOME: Cleveland Cavaliers (1-0 HOME)
Projected starting five:
- Darius Garland
- Donovan Mitchell
- Isaac Okoro
- Evan Mobley
- Jarrett Allen
The Cavaliers were like a classic number one seed in Game 1. They paced themselves in the first three quarters before turning the jets in the final frame and running away with a win.
The Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland combo was lethal as always as they punished the Heat with their dynamic play, with the former going for a game-high 30 points and four steals and the latter delivering 27 points and five assists. Ty Jerome joined in the fun from the second unit too, torching Miami for 28 points with five three-pointers.
Evan Mobley (9 pts, 7 rebs) didn’t factor much, but that’s good news considering they still won by 21. Jarrett Allen was (12 pts, 11 rebs, 3 blks) pretty serviceable, and he’ll remain confident against his Heat counterparts.
Look out for more high-powered offense from the Cavs, especially if their wings – Max Strus, DeAndre Hunter, among others – catch some rhythm.
PICKS:
Spread: Cavaliers (-12)
Over/Under: Over (212)
