MIAMI – While the attention was on the beef with Miami Heat star Tyler Herro and Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland, that’s been put on the back burner as the team now faces a 0-3 series deficit after losing Saturday afternoon, 124-87. After the Heat went 0-2 in a competitive Game 2, this game was anything but that as Cleveland dominated, leading to the most lopsided loss in the team’s playoff history at 37 points, garnering a blunt reaction from team captain Bam Adebayo.The Game 3 loss Saturday beat the 36-point loss in Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, as while that series resulted in Miami winning the championship, this team falls 0-3 in the first round playoff series. Adebayo wouldn’t hold back on the team’s performance against Cleveland inside the Kaseya Center.
“It’s embarrassing, flat out,” Adebayo said. “But, you know, I feel like just worry about this next game Monday. There is no point of looking at film at this point. Scratch this game, and then you got to move on to Monday.”
Adebayo led with 22 points and nine rebounds while Herro had 13 points on five of 13 shooting from the field.
Heat’s playoff hopes falling before their eyes in the first half
As the Heat were looking to start fast against the Cavs without Garland, the team played with a desperation that was needed to start Game 3 with a win much needed. Miami would find their spots while forcing Cleveland into tough situations as they came out to an early 12-4 lead.
However, the tides would turn quickly as the Cavs found a major groove on both sides of the floor, going on a monstrous 18-0 run to gain full control of the early portion of the contest. Cleveland would especially find success in the paint, finishing with 18 points in that area after the first quarter compared to Miami’s six.
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It would carry on into the second quarter as the road team would build a 19-point lead as while the Heat would find some spots of success to dwindle it down, they would be stifled by self-inflicted wounds. By around five minutes left in the second period, the team would have 10 turnovers.
By the end of the first half, Miami would trail by 20, finishing with 11 turnovers and allowing 32 points in the paint as they were outrebounded 21-15. There’s no doubt that it was a one-sided contest up until this point, where the Heat were getting jammed every possession with Cleveland congesting cutting and passing lanes while they were flourishing on the other side of the ball.
Adebayo led the team with 13 points, and Herro had just seven, which for him is an underwhelming start.
The second half showed a discrepancy between the Heat and the Cavs
With the Heat trying to find success in the playoff series, the team brought out the highest form of intensity seen in the game thus far as they came out to a 7-2 run, leading to an early timeout from head coach Kenny Atkinson. It would be a quick burst of momentum until Cleveland once again gained full control of the outing, stuffing out any energy that halftime could have given the home team.
The difference between the two teams was staggering throughout Saturday afternoon’s contest, with one playing with ultimate smoothness and poise and the other unable to get anything going. One could credit that Miami is a 10th seed facing off against the No. 1 seed, so the results were obvious, but with the amount of on and off the court drama this season with the team, it was uncertain to tell the type of team they are at full strength.
Cleveland in the final frame saw them close out Miami and Game 3 with a win that gives them a 3-0 series advantage, as while it’s not official yet, it’s looking like they’ll advance to the next round of the playoffs. For the Heat, Game 4 on Monday will be a chance to extend the series, but they’re up against history as no team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit.
