This series is going according to the script; after all, the Cavs won 64 games in the regular season and are facing a 37-win Heat team that limped to the finish line. And the Cavs’ confidence is at a level that’s appropriate of how much better their squad is than the Heat’s — with Darius Garland revealing Cleveland’s game plan as they look to carry over this level of play into the road.

“Pick on Tyler Herro and take care of the ball. Don’t play in tight spaces and pick on their weak defenders,” Garland said in his postgame presser, via Danny Cunningham of Locked On Cavs.

It’s not too often that players call out the purported weakest link on the opposition’s defense. But Garland appears to not care whatsoever about giving Herro and the Heat some bulletin board material heading into Game 3.

There’s no secret that teams look to pick on the opposition’s worst perimeter defender to gain an advantage, especially in the halfcourt set. Now, Herro isn’t that bad of a defender, but compared to Davion Mitchell, Herro is not on the same level. The Cavs are also incentivized to attack Herro defensively to make him work, making him expend energy so he’s more ineffective on offense.

At the end of the day, it is very telling that the Cavs are talking their smack, which speaks volumes to how confident they are in the early goings of the playoffs.

Cavs must be wary of Tyler Herro, Heat’s underdog exploits

We’ve seen this movie before; the Heat, despite fielding a roster that’s undertalented compared to their opponents, find a way to make a playoff series difficult. On Wednesday night, the Cavs certainly didn’t experience a cakewalk on their way to victory lane.

Tyler Herro led the game in scoring with 33 points on 14-24 shooting, and with the series shifting back home to Miami, he could very well have another one of these high-scoring outings. Darius Garland giving him bulletin board material should also give him an even bigger chip on his shoulder moving forward.