The Cavaliers were already back to the wall for this Game 2 against the Knicks, and a reaction was therefore expected. Darius Garland responded well, after his first game not necessarily bad, but not incisive enough, with 17 points. Worn by his teammates, he wanted to show something else.
“The whole team told me that I had to be aggressive, that I had to shoot”, he says at ESPN. “I watched the footage from the first game and saw opportunities that I didn’t take. Everyone told me to shoot. I was shown footage where I had open shots which I declined. »
While the Knicks started well, Darius Garland’s 3-point shots will launch the Cavaliers. The player did not hesitate and scored 11 points in the first quarter, then 15 more in the second, for a very successful first half: 26 points at 4/6 at 3-pts.
“He’s the All-Star we know and it was great to see”slips Donovan Mitchell. “I told him that we were going to need that, that he must continue to be aggressive. »
Darius Garland was delighted with the spaces in the defense and even more with the too many balls lost (14 in the first period!) by Tom Thibodeau’s troops. The playmaker finished the game with 32 points at 6/10 at 3-pts, but the essentials were already done at the break.
“Our ball losses were a huge problem, they scored 32 points with our 18 lost balls”, recognizes the Knicks coach for the New York Post. “It’s a concern, like the rebounds. Garland’s strength is his shot and he was in it, at a good pace. It was too late to react. »
| Darius Garland | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2019-20 | KEY | 59 | 31 | 40.1 | 35.5 | 87.5 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 12.3 |
| 2020-21 | KEY | 54 | 33 | 45.1 | 39.5 | 84.8 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 6.1 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 17.4 |
| 2021-22 | KEY | 68 | 36 | 46.2 | 38.3 | 89.2 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 8.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 0.1 | 21.7 |
| 2022-23 | KEY | 69 | 36 | 46.2 | 41.0 | 86.3 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 7.8 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.1 | 21.6 |
| Total | 250 | 34 | 44.9 | 38.7 | 87.1 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 0.1 | 18.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
