Cavs at Heat Game 4 preview and gamethread

The Cavs look to close out their first round series with a sweep of the Heat.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, coming off a near 40-point demolition in Game 3, will look to sweep their way through the first round of the NBA Playoffs as they take on the Miami Heat in Southern Florida. This would be the first sweep by Cleveland since 2018, when they did so against the Toronto Raptors in the second round.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat

Where: Kaseya Center - Miami, Florida

When: 7:30 pm EST

TV: TNT, FanDuel Sports Network Cleveland

Line: Cavaliers -8.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Cavs injury report: Darius Garland - QUESTIONABLE (sprained toe),

Expected Heat starting lineup: Tyler Herro, Alec Burks, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware

Heat injury report: Terry Rozier - OUT (ankle), Kevin Love - OUT (personal)

What to watch for

Don’t get cute

The Cavs are in total control of the series, but they have a tendency to play down to their competition when they know they are better. Look at Game 2, where Cleveland sprinted out to a big lead and then let the offense and defense sag — nearly allowing Miami to come back and steal a game on the road. Coming off a huge win in Game 3, and potentially once again without Darius Garland, the Cavs could let off the gas pedal for a “gentleman’s sweep”.

They should not let that happen.

With the Indiana Pacers likely dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, the Cavs are almost certainly to be playing their division rival one state over. In order to maximize rest, the Cavs should stay focused to end this series in Game 4.

It would have been easy for the Cavs to wilt under the pressure from Game 2 and let that seep into Game 3. Instead, they blew out Miami and exerted their will.

Stopping, and Targeting, Tyler Herro

The Cavs had a good game plan for slowing down Tyler Herro in Game 3, holding the dynamic guard to just 13 points - his lowest scoring output since March 21. They dared him to take midrange shots by clogging up the paint and limited his attempts from beyond the three-point line. Cleveland showed multiple defenders and honed in on his ideal shooting zones.

On the flip side, Herro is a poor defender who could — and should — get picked on. That is a lot easier to do for the Cavs. But the reality is that all of Miami’s poor defenders (Duncan Robinson, Pelle Larson, Nikola Jovic) get targeted. Herro is just perhaps the easiest of the bunch to go at, especially with the Cavs’ dynamic backcourt and large frontcourt.

Miami’s offense goes where Herro does, as he is their top player on that end of the floor. Bam Adebayo may be their best overall player, but Herro's multi-level scoring is what makes the Heat move. Take away that, like the Cavs did in Game 3, and it'll be another big win.