Cavaliers-Pacers preview: What if Cleveland’s Darius Garland isn’t ready for Game 1?

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INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Missing All-Star point guard Darius Garland for the final two games of Cleveland’s first-round sweep of Miami ultimately didn’t hurt the Cavaliers.

A sprained left big toe still bothers him, which could become an issue in Cleveland’s next series against the Indiana Pacers. Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said Garland worked out with the team at practice Thursday but did not take contact, and that they are unsure whether he would be ready for Game 1 Sunday evening in Cleveland.

“I’m not going to make a judgment either way, but sure, there’s some concern there,” Atkinson. “I can see it going either way — let’s put it that way.”

Garland, a two-time All-Star, averaged 24 points in the Cavaliers’ first two wins over the Heat but was limping noticeably at the end of Game 2 and hasn’t played since. Cleveland won its two games without Garland by a combined 92 points. Atkinson started shooting guard Sam Merrill in Garland’s place and moved Donovan Mitchell to point guard.

The Cavs stifled the Heat defensively with that lineup, and the bench rotation with Merrill starting, and didn’t miss a beat on offense. Atkinson said he liked Merrill as a starter because “he’s a two-way (player)” but acknowledged that Indiana’s lineup is a much different group than what the Heat put out on the floor.

Merrill is a 6-foot-4 shooter who shot 37 percent from 3-point range this season and 39 percent against the Heat.

“(Merrill) can create advantages, not in the pick and roll but with off-ball screen stuff, and then he can hold his own defensively,” Atkinson said. “But you could argue, do you go with a bigger body? Do you go with a (Tyrese) Haliburton matchup? This series is different.”

Sam Merrill started in Darius Garland’s place, moving Donovan Mitchell to point guard. (Rich Storry / Getty Images)

Atkinson also made it clear: “I think we’re better with our All-Star point guard, personally.”

Haliburton, the Pacers’ 6-5 star point guard, didn’t make the All-Star Game this season because of a poor start from which he would eventually recover. He had a great series in a five-game win over Milwaukee, averaging 17.6 points and 11.6 assists, with the game-winning basket in an overtime stunner in Game 5 to end that series.

Haliburton alone causes problems, so Atkinson possibly was referring to starting Isaac Okoro or De’Andre Hunter to give the Cavs more defensive options against the Pacers. Indiana has a big backcourt — Andrew Nembhard is 6-4 and a rugged defender — and Andrew Nesmith is a 6-6 wing who averaged 14.8 points against Milwaukee and shot 43 percent from 3-point range this season. Pascal Siakam, the Pacers’ lone All-Star, is their leading scorer in the regular season and playoffs thus far, and is a versatile power forward who can match up with counterpart and All-Star Evan Mobley. The Pacers’ center, Myles Turner, is also a shooter, which could put Cleveland’s center, Jarrett Allen, in an uncomfortable position of guarding Turner on the perimeter.

“It’s the hardest thing to guard in basketball — five shooters,” Atkinson said. “I will say this: They have 5-out, but we also have two bigs offensively, so they’ll have to guard us, too.”

Allen destroyed the Heat in the last two games and averaged 14.3 points and 10.3 boards for the series. Mobley, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 16.3 points against Miami.

The Cavs were the best team in the East all season, winning 64 games, and were the NBA’s top offense. They are favored in the series, but they also know the Pacers made it past the second round last year — something this group has yet to accomplish.

Individually, on Cleveland’s roster, Tristan Thompson won a title with the Cavs in 2016, and Merrill was on the 2021 championship team in Milwaukee. Max Strus went to the 2023 NBA Finals with the Heat, and Atkinson was an assistant coach for the 2022 champion Golden State Warriors. While this is Atkinson’s first year as Cleveland’s coach, most of the roster has played together for at least the last few seasons. The Cavs were knocked out in the first round two years ago and dismissed in the Eastern semifinals by Boston last season.

Even Mitchell, the most decorated player on Cleveland’s roster with six All-Star appearances, has yet to advance past the second round in the postseason. He averaged 23.8 points in four games against Miami, including a had-to-have-it 30-point night in Game 2 in which he scored 17 in the fourth quarter to squash a furious Heat rally.

“(Indiana’s) guys have been farther in the playoffs and whatnot,” Mitchell said. “It’s the same mentality we had against Miami. Take care of home court. Take care of business on the road. Rebound. Extra possessions. Get back in transition. You know, stick to what you do and do it better for 48 minutes.”

Mitchell said the way the Cavs disposed of the Heat — not just a sweep, with the second two games on South Beach, but also a 122-point margin of victory that was the most in NBA playoff history — showed “maturity” in his team.

“I’m not gonna say we’ve sat here and figured it out,” Mitchell said. “We gotta continue to do it against Indiana, and then the next round and the next round. I think winning the way we did in Game 2 (a close game) set the table for Games 3 and 4 (against Miami). It’s something I think we can carry over into this series.”

(Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)

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