There was no doubt among the minds of fans that the Cleveland Cavaliers would dominate the Miami Heat in the first round of the postseason. The team that finished at the top of the Eastern Conference should have no trouble taking down a team riddled with drama on and off the court.
Vegas and the rest of the league believed the Cavs were on their way to sweep the Heat after comfortably winning the first three games. While the Heat did well in making the postseason, there was no way a roster with Tyler Herro as the primary shot creator could hold a candle against one of the deepest teams in the association.
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Now that the dust has settled on the Heat’s short postseason stint, the question is whether the Cavaliers have what it takes to make it to the NBA Finals and win it all. Their case becomes stronger after their impressive outing in the series clincher.
Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers make the record books after convincingly taking down the Miami Heat in Game 4
It was another vintage performance for the Cavaliers as Donovan Mitchell took charge in a 138-83 performance that’s become expected from Kenny Atkinson’s squad.
Spida led the scoring for the Cavs with 22 points on an efficient 53% from the floor. Aside from him, five players scored in double digits. Almost every player on the Cleveland roster saw game time, and Chuma Okeke was the only Cavalier who didn’t get a chance to bag a single point.
What makes the win all the more impressive is that they didn’t have to field Darius Garland to get the win. Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reported that the Cavs recorded the largest margin of victory in franchise history, which says a lot considering the number of brilliant teams Cleveland fans were fortunate to see over the years.
On the other hand, Herro ended his season on a whimper, scoring only four points on an atrocious 1-for-10 clip. Nikola Jovic had the hot hand for the hapless Miami squad, bagging 24 points off the bench.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra ceded that the series was simply out of reach for his squad, as reported by the Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds:
“Damn, it was humbling. This series was humbling. These last two games were embarrassing,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But Cleveland’s also a very good team. … They showed us why we weren’t ready for that.”
Will the Cavs make it to the 2025 NBA Finals?
Such an easy outing will make Cleveland fans especially giddy about their upcoming series. However, their path to a second championship banner isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
Their next opponents are most likely the Indiana Pacers. Unless a minor miracle happens for the rest of the series, the Cavs will be squaring off against the team they lost to three of five times this season. The series will be interesting for the neutral basketball fan.
Should the Cavaliers make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics will most likely be the next team waiting for them. They suffered a gentleman’s sweep against them last year, so Donovan Mitchell and company will want revenge against the defending champions.
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