Inside The Heat

Cleveland Cavaliers Had Glaring X-Factor In Game 1 Win Against Miami Heat

Shandel Richardson|
Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts on the bench during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts on the bench during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

The Cleveland Cavaliers got their usual contributions from All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.

The difference, however, was the play of Ty Jerome. He finished with 28 points, five rebounds and three assists. The crew over at Five Reason Sports addressed it on its podcast.

GAME 1 TAKEAWAYS

The Miami Heat hung around for most of their playoff debut in Game 1 against the 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers, but things eventually unraveled in a 121-100 loss.

Here are some of my takeaways from the game:

Loss of Identity

The Heat's point-of-attack defense was poor with sloppy rim protection was sloppy and messy rotations. The man to man and zone defense couldn't get the job done. They allowed the Cavs to put up an offensive rating much higher than their already league-leading mark.

It all began with the Cavs' backcourt. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Ty Jerome combined to convert on nearly 60 percent from the field while dishing out 12 assists to four turnovers.

In addition to the Heat giving up a 124 halfcourt offensive rating, they were also not the least bit disruptive. The Cavs finished with an assist-to-turnover ratio that far exceeds the best in the league.

A Real Test

Going up against a top 10 ranked defense, the Heat's offense also was not up to par. They finished the game scoring about 35 points per 100 possessions in the halfcourt.

The biggest difference overall was the Cavs putting up eight more shots within four feet of the rim (Heat put up just five), as well as 10 more threes. The Cavs also converted on 56 percent of their mid range shots.

The biggest individual indicator of their tough offensive night was Tyler Herro, who converted on just four of his 12 twos after having made impressive strides throughout the season countering teams running him off the three-point line. Herro also finished with just two assists and three turnovers.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here