Darius Garland just gave Tyler Herro all the motivation he needs to win Game 3

It’s not that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offensive strategy is a secret, but it’s another thing to say the quiet part out loud.

The Cavs have spent a majority of the first two games of this series hunting Tyler Herro on defense. It’s common to see Herro’s man, often Max Strus, come up and set a screen for Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and force Herro to switch onto one of Cleveland’s All-Star guards.

Their relentlessness in attacking Herro has helped power a dominant Cavaliers offensive performance and 2-0 series lead. When asked about scoring on Miami’s defense after Wednesday night’s Game 2, Garland didn’t mince words.

"Pick on Tyler Herro," Garland said. "Take care of the ball, don't play in tight spaces and pick on their weak defenders. Go at them."

Darius Garland said the quiet part out loud.

There were moments on Wednesday night when Herro and Garland were jawing quite a bit. Both were members of the 2019 draft class and have known each other for a while, so there might be more to this story than Garland simply disrespecting Herro through the media.

But he’s also right. The Cavs are scoring 1.20 points per possession when Herro is the screener defender in pick-and-rolls this series, per Second Spectrum. That's an elite offensive rating. The strategy makes sense.

The Heat are trying to keep Herro out of some of the actions. In the fourth quarter of Game 2, the Heat tied having Herro leave the assignment late and have another defender tap in.

The problem with that strategy is that it gave up an open shot in the split second between Herro's scrambling away and the new defender flying in. Donovan Mitchell hit a huge 3-pointer in the final 2 minutes by pulling up in the pocket between Herro and Davion Mitchell swapping assignments. 

It’s inevitable that Herro will be involved in these actions. The Cavs are pressing him too often for it not to happen. But finding a way to shrink these windows and minimize problematic matchups will help.

Despite the defensive limitations, Herro has been Miami’s best player through the first two games of this series. He's averaging 27 points on 50% shooting across both games and his scoring and spacing were key to Miami’s late comeback in Game 2. 

On the other side, you’d like to see the Heat attack Garland a bit more. Specifically Herro, who is likely to take those comments personally.

If this isn't bulletin board material, then what is?