![\"Kyle](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-4-30-6.54PM.jpeg\")
Kyle Anderson was acquired by the Miami Heat ahead of the trade deadline. (Mandatory Credit: Eric Espada\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\nKyle Anderson was acquired by the Miami Heat ahead of the trade deadline. (Mandatory Credit: Eric Espada\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn\u2019t just dismantle the Miami Heat, they humiliated them in every which way. In fact, Cleveland set an NBA record for the largest point differential for a single series, outscoring them by 122 points\u2013including by 92 points in the final two games.<\/p>\n
During the Heat\u2019s end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, Anderson was asked about what flipped after Game 2\u2013where Miami nearly completed a second-half comeback against the East\u2019s No. 1 seed. <\/p>\n
And his answer was fascinating. The veteran forward was quick to point out that the Cavaliers were best without their second-best guard: Darius Garland.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The Cleveland Cavaliers) looked like a better team without [Darius Garland] on the floor,\u201d Anderson said<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t know the numbers or anything. I think it played more into their favor once Garland wasn\u2019t on the floor for them. They were able to dictate the tempo, get more stops on defense, it was hard for us to score. They had more guys out there on defense. Once we came across that, it made it tough for us.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery series is different. I\u2019m not saying they\u2019re better without Garland. He\u2019s obviously a really good player. I respect his game. But I think that was tough on us.\u201d<\/p>\n Garland missed Games 3 and 4 with a sprained left toe, and it obviously didn\u2019t matter. He called out<\/a> Heat guard Tyler Herro after Game 2 because of his lack of defensive fortitude after getting hunted relentlessly at the start of the series.<\/p>\n Anderson wasn\u2019t wrong, either. Without Garland, the Cavaliers obviously closed out the series in emphatic fashion and limited the amount of defenders the Heat could successfully pick on in the halfcourt. They didn\u2019t mismatch hunt well when Garland was on the court anyway, but his absence eliminated that option altogether.<\/p>\n Cleveland outpaced the Heat by 108 points with a 95.2 defensive rating in the series; when he was on the court, it outscored them by only 14 points with a 121.9 defensive rating. The Cavs beat the Heat to a pulp regardless, but it\u2019s fascinating looking at the on-off splits of this microscopic four-game sample. Garland\u2019s a phenomenal lead guard that any team would be lucky to have.<\/p>\n Miami had zero answers for their East foe. None. Zada. It was a demeaning, embarrassing, merciful beatdown for four games, even the first two were competitive at different points. The only competitive parts of Games 3 and 4 were when it was tied 0-0 (and when the Heat had a 16-5 lead in Game 3 \u2026 remember that?!)<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n To check out our other content, click\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter\/X\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Subscribe to our YouTube channel\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t\t\t