Heat Ridiculed by NBA Fans as Donovan Mitchell, Cavs Complete Sweep with Game 4 Rout
The Cleveland Cavaliers are heading to the second round for the second consecutive season.
Cleveland completed its first-round sweep of the overmatched Miami Heat with a dominant 138-83 victory in Monday's Game 4 at Kaseya Center. Next up is a matchup against the winner of the series between the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Cavaliers didn't have Darius Garland because of a sprained big toe, but they had more than enough firepower with Donovan Mitchell (22 points and five assists), Jarrett Allen (14 points, 12 rebounds and six steals), Evan Mobley (17 points and seven rebounds) and De'Andre Hunter (19 points) stuffing the stat sheet.
Cleveland looked like a team ready to compete for a championship, but there was also plenty of focus on the other side. After all, Miami is still an NBA playoff team that was flat-out embarrassed on its home floor.
Social media had something to say about the Heat:
Garland or not, the Cavaliers had all the momentum after a blowout win in Game 3 and wasted no time setting the tone Monday. They expanded their lead to as many as 29 in the first quarter alone with Mitchell draining threes, Allen dominating inside while creating havoc on defense and Hunter providing a spark off the bench
It felt like a No. 1 seed playing a No. 16 seed in the first round of the NCAA tournament, which was both a scary proposition to the rest of the Eastern Conference and a reflection of Miami's overall talent level for a playoff team.
The rest of the game was a formality, which allowed the Cavaliers to expand their rotation as they look ahead to the next round.
Hunter continued to impress offensively off the bench, while Allen notched a double-double before intermission. Cleveland's lead expanded to an astounding 39 by halftime, which left some of the fans heading toward the exit.
It almost felt cruel when the Cavaliers continued to shoot well and pour in the points into the second half as they left no doubt about the outcome.
As for the Heat, this was a difficult ending for an up-and-down season that included trading Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors.
The franchise is just two years removed from an NBA Finals appearance, which was part of a stretch of three Eastern Conference Finals berths in four years. However, it now has an uncertain future with a lack of firepower alongside Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.
Monday's game made it perfectly clear just how far behind the Heat are from the elite teams in the Eastern Conference, and that won't change if they don't make key additions during the upcoming offseason.
If nothing else, this embarrassing loss could serve as a motivating force to the front office.
