Miami – Take out the brooms.
The best-classified Cavs swept the heat of Miami from the NBA qualifiers on Monday evening, punctuating their first series victory with a record rout of 138-83.
It is the biggest differential of points in the history of the players’ qualifiers. It is also the second time in the Erik Spoelstra era that Miami has been swept away – and the third time.
“We went out here and we came here with the right mentality,” said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. “Our maturity, our leadership, everything we talked about all year round, we do not seem to have deposited and it is rare. There is just a connection and a camaraderie and our leaders send the right message and everyone follows in a way. ”
Before Tipoff, Atkinson – who has shown respect repeatedly at the eighth seeded clearly outraged because of its history, its reputation and its pedigree – qualified a closing game in Miami a “monumental task”. He even predicted a descending competition.
Barely.
Match 4 was more shortly after the last note in the national anthem.
On the possession of the opening of Miami, the center of the Cavs Jarrett Allen has entered the path and forced a deviation which turned into a dunk of undisputed escape.
This game set the tone for the night. It put Cleveland for good.
The Cavs never dragged. There were no links. Dominance of the wire wire. A 48-minute flex of the best team in the East who entered the playoffs with a chip on the shoulder, feeling disrespectful and underestimated.
Forget that.
Showing a level of concentration and maturity, with suffocating defense and a surgical offense, Cleveland has never yielded. Although he did not injure the leader Darius Garland, the second top scorer of the playoff team, he led two figures less than four minutes after the match, with the inept offensive of Miami not crossing the two -digit barrier before the brand 1:47 of the first quarter.
The Heat, already mentally seeming in Cancun, brought together only 17 points in the first quarter, the least of the first quarter of the season. These 12 minutes putrides were tied for the worst district of the history of the Miami qualifiers.
It did not improve.
At the end of the first half, the CAVS were ahead of 72-33, their second largest half-time advance in the history of the franchise playoffs, only beaten by the edge of 41 points held in Boston in 2017.
This last Cavalanche lasted four quarters.
At one point during the Cleveland game, Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus – two of the team leaders – spent the first part of a dead time to discuss with passion for a mental error. The Cavs were 34 years ahead. Never mind.
No shift. No relaxation. No pity.
Cleveland is looking for something bigger. It’s not about winning a series. The goal is four. Miami is just a simple springboard to the NBA throne.
“It is despair, understanding how fast a series can change if you give a life to a team,” said Mitchell. “Last year, we only won one game on the road. We have won only one playoff game since I’m here until this year. I am never satisfied and we understand that we have to be perfect, try to play as perfect as possible.”
Mitchell led the assault with a top of 22 points out of 8 of the 15 shots and 4 out of 8 of the 3 -point range to go with five assists in 24 minutes.
De’Andre Hunter added 19 points. Ty Jerome cut with 18, the last of which came at the end of the third quarter – a 37 -foot drummer who left Jérôme, shrugging his shoulders.
Evan Mobley finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Allen had 14 points and 12 boards, his third double-double this series of the playoffs.
The CAVS pulled 56.8% in the field and 48.8% on a beach of 3 points. The 138 points are a record for franchise playoffs.
“It’s cool to get this series, to win this series, but the work is far from over,” said Hunter.
The heat reserve striker Nikola Jovic paid a 24 -point top. Bam Adebayo collected 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Tyler Herro de Miami, who was engaged in a word war with Garland and swore that the heat would not be swept away, lacked nine of his 10 shooting attempts. He finished with four points in 30 minutes. With him on the ground, Miami was less-44.
“I said (recruit) Jaylon Tyson, like:” It’s special, it’s your first series of playoffs, that’s what you look at, it’s not normal “,” said Mitchell after the triumph. “It is a very talented team against which we played, in competition, so take advantage of the moment. We did special things all year round, but we did not come here just to sweep in the first round and arrive in the second.”
During this series of four games for the most part non -competitive, the CAVS have ahead of 122 points combined – the largest differential of total points of any series of eliminatory series of all time.
The figures are amazing. Records have been rewritten. Again. But there is one more: the last team to sweep the heat in 17 Spoelstra Seasons was the Milwaukee Bucks 2020-21, which won the title.
Is it a sign? Will history repeat itself?
The next
The Cavs will play the winner of Indiana and Milwaukee in the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference. The start date remains to be determined. Match 5 of the Pacers-Bucks series is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. He in Indianapolis. Indiana has a 3-1 lead.
