48 hours ago, we pointed out the Cavaliers' hyper-dependence on Donovan Mitchell. Among the players who needed to raise their level of play were Darius Garland, very disappointing since the start of the playoffs with its 15 points average. That's not much for a former All-Star. And then, last night, we learned of the loss of Donovan Mitchell, injured in a calf, and Garland had no other choice but to take over as the number 1 option in attack.
“Tonight, I'm going to have to focus on shooting if Donovan doesn't play, but that's what I did in the last two matches”Garland announced at the shootaround. “I'm just going to try to think about shots first, and look for my own a little more often.”
He crosses the 30 point mark
After one quarter, we cannot say that Garland had kept his promise: 0 points to 0 on 3 shots. It's difficult to change your habits from one match to another, and the Cleveland leader mainly sought to make others play at the start of the match. And then, he finally decided to be aggressive.
“It’s my responsibility. I am the leader on the ground. I have to take charge, be aggressive, and just try to push through.” he announced. And this time, he let go to reach the 30-point mark, including 19 after the break. He added 7 passes and 2 interceptions, and only lost two balls.
“He’s a warrior.” says Max Strus of him. “He did what we expected of him: find a way to improve and do more to help us. This is the case for all of us. We all have to do something more to find a way to win.”
Author of 19 points, Caris LeVert is proud of his teammate's reaction. “I think people forget a little about the roles that are assigned to players in the NBA. It's obvious that before Donovan arrived, Darius was the leader. He was an All-Star. »
Unfortunately, the absences of Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell are too handicapping, and Garland's performance will be insufficient to bring down the Celtics. “He was phenomenal” underlines JB Bickerstaff. “He carried a heavy burden for us. He put pressure on them offensively, forced them to make difficult decisions, and then I thought he made the right choices. He did a good job motivating us. »
