Cavs to face Heat check in first round

On Friday night, the Miami Heat made history by becoming the first-ever 10-seed to advance through the NBA Play-In Tournament. While that is certainly an accomplishment, don't expect a reward for the Heat. Miami's prize for winning the second arm of the play-in tournament is a meeting with the best team in the NBA: the 64-18 Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers were the NBA's best offense with a rating of 121, and the eighth-best defense with a 111.8. Cleveland also led the league in field goal percentage across the board and was top-10 in pace. For the first time since before LeBron James was drafted, the Cleveland Cavaliers are at the top of the NBA. This team goes far beyond the stats. Led by All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs' "Big Four" has been electric in the 2024-2025 season. In 2023-24, the Cavaliers were up and down throughout the year, this season has been different. The Cavaliers have been dominant, as new head coach Kenny Atkinson has completely changed the team. All-Stars Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley flank Mitchell in the NBA's offensive juggernaut at the top of the Eastern Conference. Miami, however, is headed in a much different direction. The Heat traded disgruntled All–Star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors and look headed toward a tear down of their roster in the offseason. The Heat are led by first-time All-Star Tyler Herro and defensive stalwart Bam Adebayo, and finished the season ninth in defensive rating. This will truly be a clash of styles. Miami does have the personnel to guard the Cavaliers, starting with Adebayo. While Bam had a down year offensively when many expected a jump, he remains one of the NBA's most versatile defenders. Seven-foot rookie Kel'el Ware starts alongside Adebayo in the post, offering a capable frontcourt to rival Allen and Mobley for Cleveland. Miami's Alec Burks and Andrew Wiggins, both of whom started both play-in games, are strong defenders for Garland and Mitchell as well. Herro, however, is an offensive specialist who is sure to be targeted by Cleveland's All-Star guards. If Mitchell, specifically, can get Tyler Herro to matchup with him on a switch, he's going to have a field day. Mitchell, who has made the All-Star team seven times over his career with Cleveland and Utah, averaged 24 points, five assists, and four rebounds per game, shooting 37-percent from 3-point range in 71 games. While he has been dealing with an ankle injury, Donovan is expected to be 100% when the Cavs play Sunday in Cleveland. Mitchell is a multi-level scorer, and no matter who matches up with him, he will get his shots. Darius Garland will be able to pick apart Miami's defense in pick-and-roll situations, as Miami's bigs will most likely drop to cover Allen or Mobley on a drive to the basket. This will allow Garland to either get to a step-back or take a floater before the Heat bigs can react. First-year All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year favorite Evan Mobley, who has taken on a much larger offensive role this season under Atkinson, will be another important piece this postseason. Mobley's increased playmaking may give the Cavs an advantage, pulling one of Miami's big men out of the paint and setting up a potential driving lane for Mitchell or starting forward DeAndre Hunter. Cleveland's bench may be the ultimate difference maker. Guard Ty Jerome, a strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, is one of the NBA's best decision-makers with the ball. Jerome averaged 12.5 points and 3.5 assists, playing 20 minutes through 70 games. Jerome was also fourth in three-point percentage, connecting on 44-percent of his triples. His emergence this year has been a big part of Cleveland's rise. Sharpshooter Max Strus, wing stopper Isaac Okoro and Swiss army knife Dean Wade give the Cavaliers one of the deepest bench rotations in the entire association. As long as Cleveland can contain Tyler Herro's microwave scoring, this should be a cakewalk for the Cavaliers. It will likely be a group effort in guarding Herro, as Cleveland doesn't have a strong guard defender. But between Garland, Mitchell, Hunter, and Okoro, Cleveland has the bodies to contain Herro. Don't expect Miami to win a game, they only won 37 in the regular season. Miami did defeat the Cavaliers in one of its three meetings, but that was a different iteration of this team that included Butler. Ultimately, Cleveland's first-round series is likely to be a tune-up for what's to come. If the Cavaliers get to the Eastern Conference Finals, they face an extremely tough matchup with the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics. If they manage to overcome the C's, Cleveland will do what many thought to be impossible: compete for a championship without LeBron.