Cavs Show Right Away That Playoffs Indeed Can Be Extension Of Regular Season

1. That’s basically what you wanted to see from the team with the No. 1 seed in the East. Comfortable lead, never trailed after the first quarter, late Cavalanche to finish the job.

2. If you were hoping the team with the 64-18 record would show up … well, you got it. When it mattered, the Cavs were crisp, made shots, snared rebounds and bent their knees and shuffled their feet.

3. So congratulations, Kenny Atkinson. You have your first playoff victory as Cleveland coach.

4. Atkinson on the win: “I think we played super hard, competitive. Our decision-making was not elite, but I think (Miami) had something to do with that. One thing with the Heat, they’re gonna make you play all 48. I know that’s cliche … but it’s gonna be a battle.”

5. For a while, that’s precisely what this was. It was a knock-down, drag-out basketball donnybrook. But Donovan Mitchell (30 points), Ty Jerome (28) and Darius Garland (27) were three big reasons the Cavs didn’t really have to get nervous. One of those three stepped up, at some point, every time. Like, every time.

6. Mitchell was even more remarkable than usual at finishing near the basket. Garland forced nothing, got to wherever he wanted on the floor (no shock there), and even locked in defensively. Jerome scored 16 in the fourth quarter. Whenever it seemed like the Heat might make a run, there he was. Getting buckets.

7. If you’re looking for milestones, well, we have one — as this marked the first time in Cavs playoff history that three players scored at least 20 in the same game. Basically, it’s been a season for the record books, and one playoff game in, the Cavs have another.

8. Also, this was Jerome’s first NBA playoff game, period. “He’s got supreme confidence in himself,” Atkinson said. “He’s got that swagger and he had a super-high IQ. They went to a zone and he kind of shot them out of it. He did it all tonight, changed the game for us.”

9. Garland also proved he can be a postseason performer with an all-around kind of night. “Great leadership, locked in,” Atkinson said. “His defensive disposition was 10 out of 10. He plays like that, yeah, we’re close to unbeatable.”

10. So many others contributed, as is so often the case with these Cavaliers. Jarrett Allen was everywhere on his way to 12 points and 11 rebounds. Evan Mobley (nine points, seven boards) and Max Strus (nine points had their moments. Sam Merrill continued to be Mr. Intangibles off the bench. “Way, way underrated,” Atkinson said.

11. Meanwhile, Atkinson used words such as “energy” and “phenomenal” to describe how Allen battled near the basket, picked up a few steals and just made general hustle plays.

12. Again, this is what you’re hoping for. The Cavs went on winning streaks of 15, 12, and 16 games during the regular season. This team looked a lot like that one.

13. Yes, it’s the same team. But you always wonder which team you’ll get when the playoffs begin. The Cavs got the good one. And as Atkinson suggested, they can still play better. “We actually played for 48 minutes tonight,” Garland said. “… I know it’s one game, but we’re going in the right direction for sure.”

14. The Heat were led by the usual suspects, with Bam Adebayo scoring 24 and Tyler Herro going for 21. That said, Herro was outplayed by all the Cavs guards, including Jerome.

15. Game 2 is Wednesday night, also at Rocket Arena. Cavaliers Nation can feel a lot more confident at the moment. It had been waiting to see how well a team that won 60-plus game would do when it mattered. So far, so very good.

• Box Score | Cavs 121, Heat 100