Miami Heat forward Kyle Anderson recently said that the Cleveland Cavaliers were better off without Darius Garland in the final two games of their first-round best-of-seven series.
Garland was a DNP in Games 3 and 4 due to a toe injury. Before this, the two-time NBA All-Star talked trash to Tyler Herro, calling him the weak link in the Miami Heat’s defense after Game 2.
“If you want my honest answer, and I don’t mean to throw shots at anybody and or even entertain what was going on between them, but I think they looked like a better team without (Darius) Garland on the floor,” Anderson said about Garland via George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal.
“Once Garland wasn’t on the floor for them, they were able to dictate the tempo and get more stops on defense, and it was hard for us to score and they had more guys out there on defense,” he continued. “So, I think once we came across that it got kind of tough for us.”
Cleveland Cavaliers News: Darius Garland gets questionable tag ahead of Game 1 vs. Indiana Pacers
The Cleveland Cavaliers will commence their second-round series against the Indiana Pacers this Saturday, and Darius Garland’s status is still uncertain despite participating in the team’s most recent practice.
“There’s some concern there,” Atkinson said about Garland’s injury via Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I could see it go either way.”
Sam Merrill replaced Garland in the starting lineup in Games 3 and 4 against the Miami Heat. Cleveland might do the same if Garland is not yet fit in Game 1.
