Tyler Herro Rips Cavs' Garland, Says 'Someone Who Doesn't Play Defense' Shouldn't Talk

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro took some exception to being singled out by the Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland during their first-round NBA playoff series.

Following Cleveland's 121-112 victory in Game 2, Garland suggested some of the team's success on offense was down to targeting Herro specifically:

Addressing the comments Friday, Herro simultaneously said he wasn't that rankled but that "someone who doesn't play defense" shouldn't be as critical as Garland was:

Look, it's not great when an opposing player basically calls you a defensive sieve, especially midway through a postseason series. Even if Garland was accurately describing the Cavs' plan of attack, calling out Herro was a little disrespectful.

Fear The Sword's Jackson Flickinger also explained how it's reductive to say Cleveland is only going after Herro. Head coach Kenny Atkinson and his staff want their players to seek out mismatches across all of Miami's defense.

In general, Herro's reputation as a defender precedes him. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix spoke to a scout who called him "a complete liability on defense."

Herro had 21 points on 18 shots and watched the Cavaliers' backcourt tandem of Garland and Donovan Mitchell combine for 57 points in Game 1. After the 121-100 loss, the 6'2" guard said the effort he was having to expend on offense and defense was "kind of wearing me down."

"So just finding different ways to be more efficient so I'm not expending so much energy on both ends," he said, per the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang. "And then I can obviously be better on the ball, which I will be [in Game 2]."

Herro was better on offense, dropping a game-high 33 points. Garland and Mitchell once again performed well, though, as they had 51 points and 15 assists collectively.

In general, it's true that Garland isn't any better than Herro on defense. But pointing that out doesn't exactly help your cause when your team is in an 0-2 hole.