Tyler Herro Exposed In Cavs' Game One Gameplan

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jack Meyer | Last updated Apr 21, 2025 1:36 PM ET

Miami Heat All-Star guard Tyler Herro has garnered all kinds of praise and accolades this season, namely for his production on the offensive end. Herro averaged a career-high 23.9 points and 5.5 assists per game this season to help the Heat squeeze into the NBA playoffs.

On Sunday, however, the Cleveland Cavaliers exposed a major flaw in Herro's game: defense. The Cavs repeatedly targeted Herro on the defensive end, which proved to be a major factor in their 121-100 victory over the Heat in game one of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Cleveland's backcourt of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Ty Jerome came after Herro on a combined 36 possessions in Sunday's game, per NBA analyst Keith Smith. The Cavs' roster combined 64 points on those possessions, 29 of which came from its trio of guards.

All three of the aforementioned players also finished with more than 25 points on the evening. Jerome scored a jaw-dropping 28 off the bench, while Mitchell and Garland came away with 30 and 27, respectively.

Herro attempted to keep up with his own contributions on the offensive end, finishing with 21 points of his own on the night. Nevertheless, it became increasingly clear as the night went on that whatever Herro managed to do offensively, Cleveland was able to match and surpass on the other end of the floor.

Only time will tell if Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra will be able to make the necessary adjustments to shut Mitchell and company down. The Heat and Cavaliers will meet back at Rocket Arena in Ohio for game two of their first round series on Wednesday evening. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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