$18 Million Forward Pinpoints Darius Garland as Cavaliers Weakest Link

$18 Million Forward Pinpoints Darius Garland as Cavaliers Weakest Link

Darius Garland missed the final two games of the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ first-round playoff win over the Miami Heat.During a recent media availability, Miami forward Kyle Anderson, who has two years left on his $18 million deal with Miami, credited Garland’s absence for why Cleveland was able to secure a four-game sweep over Erik Spoelstra’s team.“If you want my honest answer,” Anderson said. “And I don’t mean to throw shots at anybody…They looked…

Cavs better without Darius Garland? No one’s buying it

In the aftermath of the Cavs' four-game sweep over Miami, a Heat player was asked what changed in the final two games, both blowouts. He pointed to Darius Garland's absence.

Kenny Atkinson: Jarrett Allen's next step is to be able to guard five out

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson is putting Cleveland’s defensive spotlight directly on Jarrett Allen, his star big man. “We all know J.A.’s next step is to be able to guard five out, Atkinson said. “I think it’s a challenge. But he’s more than capable with his versatility. I will say this, they apply that, but we also have two bigs offensively, so they’re going to have to guard us too, right? It’s a hard guard for us. “But I think when we play th…

Kenny Atkinson drops Darius Garland injury update, worry for Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2025 title pursuit

The Cleveland Cavaliers have another challenge to overcome. Facing the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers showed no mercy in dispatching the conference 10th seed. With a talented and massively deep roster bannered by Donovan Mitchell, they went all out to completely own the series and humble Erik Spoelstra’s team. Their 55-point historic beatdown in Game 4 to seal the series sweep against the Heat was a statement of intent. But heading into an …

Kyle Anderson Sparks Controversy After Garland Jab as Cavs Dismiss Heat and Embrace Depth in Sweep - NBA (Basketball)

After Cleveland’s dominant four-game sweep over Miami in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, Heat reserve Kyle Anderson made remarks about the Cavaliers’ performance without star guard Darius Garland. Anderson suggested that the Cavs looked like a better team without Garland on the floor, as they were able to dictate the tempo and play better defense. His comments raised eyebrows, especially given that Cleveland’s blowout victories in Game…

Local NBA viewership down 9% as large-market teams underachieve

A complete picture of the NBA’s local viewership situation is coming into focus. After Puck’s John Ourand reported earlier this month that local NBA viewership was down 13% versus last season (using data from only 25 of the league’s 30 teams), Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal is now reporting that the NBA’s decline was just 9% league-wide. That figure, based off Nielsen data, likely excludes the Toronto Raptors, who are not measured by Niel…