The Cleveland Cavaliers used a 43-point second quarter to bury the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their playoff series on Wednesday night and will take a 2-0 advantage down to South Beach. It's not surprising that the No. 1 seed isn't having much of a problem with a side that had to scrape and claw through the Play-In tournament just to be here. But it's a bit surprising to hear one of the Cavs' star players call out one of the Heat's top guys by name.

Yet that's exactly what Darius Garland did after scoring 21 points in the win and being asked how Cleveland has taken such good care of the basketball.

"Pick on Tyler Herro," Garland identified as a key to such an endeavor. "Take care of the ball, don't play in tight spaces and pick on their weak defenders. Go at them."

Herro, who scored 33 points in a losing effort, is not known for his defensive prowess and has his hands full with Garland and Donovan Mitchell, arguably the most explosive backcourt in the league.

This is the type of honesty we get when one team feels like they are in complete control. Herro's only move now is to rise to the challenge in front of his home crowd and use this to light a fire under himself and under his team.

Easier said than done.


More NBA on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Darius Garland Casually Calls Out Tyler Herro After Cavaliers' Game 2 Win.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate