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'Almost unbeatable': Cavs challenging Darius Garland to be a leader in NBA playoffs
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- 'Almost unbeatable': Cavs challenging Darius Garland to be a leader in NBA playoffs
Editor's note:The April 23 NBA playoff game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat was not completed in time for this edition. For the result, go to beaconjournal.com/sports/cavs/.
CLEVELAND — Darius Garland is a 25-year-old All-Star , but the Cavaliers are hoping he can carry himself like a 28-year-old veteran now, a marriage of talent and maturity to add a layer of leadership to his resume.
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Their hope is Garland can progress three years in certain categories — without actually waiting three years.
Speaking throughout the week leading up to Game 1 of a first-round series against the Miami Heat , which the Cavs won 121-100 to take a 1-0 series lead, coach Kenny Atkinson said he needed Garland to closer resemble his future 28-year-old self now, even though his birth certificate will state he's only 25 .
That's also something about which Garland reminded Atkinson, but for the Cavs to reach a "nearly unbeatable" state, Garland carrying himself like a veteran three years his senior is one of the perceived requirements.
"If I was to ask something more of him — I had this conversation with him — I'm like, you almost have to speed up your maturity level, leadership level," Atkinson said, while also acknowledging progress in this area has been made. "You're 25, and I need you to be 28. I said, 'Can we speed that up?' And that's hard because our window is kind of now, and we even need more leadership from you, more whatever it is, your habits, your on-court demeanor, your relationship with the referees.
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"He goes, 'Coach, I'm 25' [And I said] Can we just advance this along a little? Because I think Donovan [Mitchell, who's 28] is in that kind of perfect space, and a lot of that has to do with age."
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland celebrates after making a 3-pointer against the Miami Heat on April 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Darius Garland stats in playoffs
Garland scored 27 points and had five assists with only two turnovers in Game 1, a nearly perfect stat line for what the Cavs need out of him from a box score perspective. But what Atkinson is describing deals with Garland's ability to keep cool in a playoff environment where the pressure, added physicality and disagreements with the refs can all intersect and boil over.
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The Cavs cannot afford Garland to allow any of that to snowball on him, even if their tagline has been "Cavalanche" all season.
One such moment came up in practice during the week.
"I yelled at him in practice," Atkinson said. "There was something that went on. It was a little thing, but it was like — this is what I'm talking about. I think it was a reaction to the referee, he got hit, and this is going to happen in the playoffs. You're going to get hit. … How are we going to react?"
Garland passed the test in Game 1.
He opened the series missing six of his first 10 attempts from the floor, a frustrating start. Then, late in the second quarter, Heat guard Davion Mitchell appeared to push Garland with his off arm. Garland was hit with a hard forearm, but he was also called for the foul, which easily could have been argued.
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These moments were what Atkinson was referring when discussing Garland's maturity. But Garland impressed the Cavs with how he talked to the refs during the game — or to be more precise, how he didn't talk to them — and he went on to score 15 points in the second half while only missing one of his seven attempts.
He also battled Bam Adebayo on defense, which led to a steal and then a key 3 by Sam Merrill in the fourth quarter as the Cavs pulled away.
Part of Atkinson's message has been, "Don't change, be the guy you've been all year," just with a bit more control in how he reacts and what he allows to have an influence over him during games.
"Go be a leader," Garland said of his understanding of Atkinson's message. "Got to mature a little bit, try to take care of the ball. The possessions are lessons, so take care of the ball as much as I can, go be confident in my game, go put the swagger that I have."
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro drives against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) on April 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cavs want Darius Garland to join Donovan Mitchell in leadership role
A lot of this simply does come with age. The Cavs are asking Garland to accelerate that clock, which they know isn't always the easiest thing to do.
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"I don't want to give it a timeframe, but we're in a situation where these [things] don't always happen for guys at DG's age in the league," Mitchell said. "There's an expectation that typically comes from guys who are older, it's just natural. … He's shown all year his development and his growth on and off the floor … I think what [Atkinson] means by that is like, hey, it's going to take another level."
But if he can, it brings the Cavs' confidence level to an all-time high.
"Yeah, when he plays like that, we're close to unbeatable," Atkinson said. "He's that important to us."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson challenging Darius Garland in NBA playoffs
