For the first time in the post-LeBron James era, the Cleveland Cavaliers can sweep an NBA playoff series when they face the Miami Heat for game four of that opening-round series on Monday at Kaseya Center.
Cleveland took a commanding 3-0 lead with a pulverizing 124-87 triumph over Miami on Saturday, leading nearly the entire way.
Match preview
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Miami's opening five-and-a-half minutes in game three were strong, but there was not much else for Erik Spoelstra to like about his team's performance.
The Heat led 15-6 after 5.5 minutes of the first quarter before allowing Cleveland to go on a 33-5 run over the next eight minutes of the game, as their lead evaporated quickly and they never recovered.
If there is a silver lining after suffering their worst playoff loss in franchise history (37 points), it could be that following their previous worst post-season defeat in game three of the 2013 NBA Finals (36 point loss to the San Antonio Spurs), Miami went on to win a title that season.
A lot has to happen for them to bounce back after such a humiliating defeat, especially considering they were out-rebounded 46-29 over the weekend and turned the ball over 16 times.
On Saturday, they had their best game shooting from beyond the arc, sinking 47.1% of their three-pointers, and they will need to maintain that consistency to avoid being swept for the first time since the opening round in 2021 (4-0 versus the Milwaukee Bucks).
The Miami Heat are currently on a six-game home playoff losing streak, and have given up over 100 points in each of those defeats.
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Throughout the 2024-25 regular season, the Cavs overpowered their opponents with sharp shooting from the floor and averaged the highest point-per-game ratio in the NBA (121.9).
So far in the opening round, they have proven their first-place finish in the Eastern Conference was no fluke, dominating the Heat in nearly every statistical category in game three, outscoring them 60 to 30 in the paint.
This is the 11th time they have led a playoff series 3-0, and the Cavaliers have managed to close out those previous 10 with a sweep, with all of them occurring when LeBron James was on the team.
Kenny Atkinson has utilized his reserves to great effect in this series, particularly in game three, as the bench scored over 41% of their points (52 of 124).
We saw them share the wealth when in possession as well, registering 32 assists for the game, while six players were in double-figures regarding points.
In their three post-season contests this year, they have outscored the Heat by a combined margin of 30 points in the fourth quarter.
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Team News
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In game three, Miami were missing Terry Rozier due to an ankle injury, while Kevin Love, who won an NBA championship with the Cavs in 2016, was out because of personal reasons.
Bam Adebayo had a team-high 22 points for the Heat on Saturday, while Davion Mitchell added 16 in the loss and former NBA champion Andrew Wiggins struggled again from the floor, knocking down just three of his 10 shots for a second consecutive game.
A toe sprain kept Cleveland All-Star guard Darius Garland on the sidelines Saturday, with Donovan Mitchell taking his place in the starting lineup, going 13 of 14 shooting for the game.
Jarrett Allen led the Cavs with 22 points and 10 rebounds last time out, Evan Mobley scored 19, De'Andre Hunter had 21 and Ty Jerome was an unsung hero yet again, with 13 points and 11 assists in 22 minutes.
Miami Heat possible starting five:
Herro, Da. Mitchell; Wiggins, Adebayo; Ware
Cleveland Cavaliers possible starting five:
Merrill, Do. Mitchell; Mobley, Strus; Allen
We say: Cavaliers to win by 10+ points
Teams facing elimination rarely exit quietly, but the Heat look so physically and emotionally beaten down right now that we do not believe even their finest effort on Monday will be enough to prolong this series.
Joel Lefevre
