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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat Game 1 instant reaction, recap
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- Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat Game 1 instant reaction, recap
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers won Game 1 of their series against the Miami Heat , 121-100 Sunday night, April 20.
It's the first step in what the Cavs hope is a lengthy journey through the NBA playoffs . After a week off — and some concerns about rust — Cleveland came out firing and led nearly the entire game en route to a series-opening win.
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Here are Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich's instant takeaways from Game 1, with Game 2 looming Wednesday, April 23.
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro drives against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) on April 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cavs vs Heat: Ryan Lewis' instant Game 1 takeaway
The main takeaway from Game 1 is that just about everything went to plan for the Cavs, who all week emphasized rebounding and the turnover battle. They won both in Game 1 and, perhaps more importantly, disallowed the Heat from knocking them off from their intended path. For the Heat to pull off an upset in the series, they'll likely need a far higher number of possessions than the Cavs, and Cleveland was able to deny that in Game 1 by playing cleaner basketball. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were both terrific. Oh, and who saw a Ty Jerome takeover coming? He's making himself a lot of money this summer.
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Cavs vs Heat: Nate Ulrich's instant Game 1 takeaway
Donovan Mitchell driving and diving had to be encouraging for the Cavs because the All-Star guard had not played since April 6, when he suffered a sprained left ankle against the Sacramento Kings . Shaken up on a drive in the second quarter, Mitchell jogged it off and remained aggressive and full of hustle. He proved to be explosive as he repeatedly attacked the basket. With 1:43 left in the first half, he knocked the ball away from Heat forward Bam Adebayo , dived for the loose ball and roared at the home crowd after he rose. With 10:31 left in the third quarter, Mitchell made a circus shot on a reverse layup. Even though Cleveland is the Eastern Conference's top seed and Miami is its No. 8 seed, Mitchell is wise enough to know the Cavaliers cannot afford to take the Heat lightly. He set a no-nonsense, intense tone and finished with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field (2 of 9 on 3-pointers).
Cleveland Cavaliers ' next playoff game
Game 2 between the Cavs and Heat is set for Wednesday, April 23, at Rocket Arena. The series then turns to Miami for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 is April 27.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: NBA playoffs: Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat Game 1 instant reaction
