Darius Garland finding voice and confidence in sophomore season
Cavs point guard had complete performance in victory over Spurs.
SAN ANTONIO — Cleveland Cavaliers teammates and coaches use the same word when describing point guard Darius Garland: Quiet.
“He’s got a ton of personality and he’s funny and intelligent and all of those things, but he is a quiet person by nature,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said recently. “In the heat of battle, you have to dig down and remind yourself to speak up and be vocal while you’re battling all those other things. That’s where you watch him take those steps. Not a finished product, but definitely taking steps in the right direction.”
Prior to leaving on this threegame road trip — beginning with another blowout loss against the Miami Heat where the typically-reserved Garland got ejected for losing his cool, punching the ball toward a referee and shouting his displeasure over a block/ charge call — Bickerstaff spoke with each player individually. He told Garland to use his voice and become more of a leader. That’s what the great point guards do.
Of course, Bickerstaff didn’t envision the end-of-game blowup in Miami over the weekend, with Garland bellowing all the way to the visitor’s locker room. Bickerstaff meant more in terms of
what Garland showed Monday night in the streak-busting 125-101 win over the San Antonio Spurs. It was Cleveland’s first win since March 24 — and Garland led the way. Literally and figuratively.
The offensive conductor, Garland scored nine straight points to open the game, helping set the tone while the rest of his teammates were repeatedly misfiring. He pushed the tempo, hunting easy baskets before the defense could get set. The Cavs outscored the Spurs 21-11 in fastbreak points.
During the third quarter, typically Cleveland’s Achilles heel that has played a large part in its 18-32 record this season, Garland brought energy and enthusiasm. He drove to the hoop for a floater and foul. A few possessions later, as the Spurs shifted to a zone, Garland snapped a pass to Kevin Love for a midrange jumper. Then Love returned the favor, launching a long outlet to a streaking Garland, who hauled it in with one hand before casually dribbling to the left corner, bursting around Derrick White and dropping in a layup. Timeout San Antonio. No doubt Garland was the topic in that huddle.
In all, Garland accounted for 10 of their first 12 third-quarter points. He scored 14 in the quarter. His teammates followed. The Cavs exploded for 43 points, winning those 12 minutes by 10 and taking a lead into the fourth.
In complete control from start to finish, Garland scored a career-high 37 points on 14-of-22 from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range. He also added a teambest seven assists against just one turnover to go with two steals, one rebound and a block in 30 minutes.
“He was still making sure everyone else was involved,” Isaiah Hartenstein said. “That’s the thing, especially what a guard needs to do. Even though he was scoring, he shared the ball.”
It’s what a franchise point guard looks like. Vision. Ball-handling. Passing. Shooting. Finishing at the rim. Poise. Patience. Orchestration. Scoring at all three levels.