‘Aggressive, Assertive’ Darius Garland Arrived To The Playoffs In Game 2

Darius Garland started Game 2 passively.

In the first six minutes, Garland threw three passes that were just off. They didn’t hit teammates in the hands or in stride. They were not precise, odd for passes from the Cavs’ most steady playmaker and assist leader. He didn’t take a shot during the opening six minutes either. He was on the court, but not present.

Something changed with Garland after that start — and after his poor Game 1. There was a also look that Donovan Mitchell gave Garland in the timeout that Garland said sent a clear message.

“I know his little look,” Garland said. “So, he’s always just telling me to go be aggressive. He told me yesterday, all of practice, ‘Just let the clip go.’ So that’s my little saying with him. Just let the clip go. And so I tried to do that tonight.”

Garland did more than try. No zero shot, zero assists quarters in a close game. Garland was aggressive. He put himself at the center of the game. And the Cavs won Game 2 107-90 to even up their series against the Knicks 1-1.

“That’s a phenomenal effort by our group,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said post game.

This was Garland’s playoff arrival. In the first half, he had 26 points and 3 assists on 6-10 shooting and an 11-12 mark from the free throw line. In the last 25 years, only three Cavs have scored 25 or more in a half of a playoff game: Garland, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

For the game, Garland finished with 32 points and7 assists on 8-17 shooting and a 10-11 mark at the line. The free throws tell the most compelling story about his aggression. Garland doesn’t typically draw a ton of fouls. Only once in his career (the 2022-23 season) has he drawn fouls at an above average rate for his position, per Cleaning The Glass. He only took 10-plus free throws in seven games this past season.

He flipped the script against New York. Garland got into the paint — often rejecting the screen to get into the paint faster — and was willing to take on contact and go to the line. Garland got his when his team needed him to.

“Everybody in the building told me to go be aggressive and go shoot the ball,” Garland said. “So, I mean, I watched the film from the first game and saw some opportunities where I can go get mine and go be aggressive, and that’s what I just tried to do today.”

“He knew what we needed, and he knew how important this game was,” Bickerstaff said. “And he went out and did what he had to do and was aggressive, was assertive, put a ton of pressure on them. They had to make some tough decisions out there, and he’s got to continue to do that for us.”

When Garland penetrates, he’s more often than not using it to create an opportunity for him to pass to a big at the rim or a shooter on the perimeter. When he bends the defense, it’s not for his own benefit — it’s for his teammates. Garland still empowered teammates — notably, in the third quarter, he looked to pass more with Cleveland maintaining a healthy lead — but found a balance with his own scoring. When Garland is perfectly balanced, as all things should be, Cleveland is at its best.

“That’s the All-Star we all know,” Mitchell said. “It was great to see. I told him at the end of the day, that’s what we’re going to need. I think it showed a level of maturity in a lot of different ways.”

Pair the foul drawing with the shot making Garland showed and you have a bona fide playoff performer. That’s someone that can complement and take pressure off of Donovan Mitchell when the stakes are high. It’s important that the Cavs were able to even their series against the Knicks with Garland leading the way and Mitchell, who finished with 17 and 13 assists on Tuesday, not needing to be at the center of everything. Mitchell’s 13 assists set a new career-high.

“He was setting that example for us, and I told him, ‘These guys follow you in the locker room,’” Mitchell said. “‘You’ve been here for four years, been here with this group, and you have a pulse on this locker room.’ And you saw it tonight with just his energy level. It’s great they see him do it with a smile on his face and get out there. But in the same token, I told him, ‘This is great; it’s over with, and we got New York on Friday.’ So, I’m happy for him.”