The Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs and Darius Garland has come in for criticism.
After clinching 64 wins and demolishing the Miami Heat 4-0 in the opening playoff round, it was a major shock to see the Cleveland Cavaliers demolished 4-1 at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.
This has sparked heavy criticism and there is a long road back for the Cavs to get back and try again next year.
In going up against the Pacers, head coach Kenny Atkinson simply reflected on physicality and mentality being two key aspects that led to their downfall.
While Donovan Mitchell averaged 34.2 points per game during the series, his teammates did not measure up.
The Cavaliers player who struggled most was Darius Garland, earning a scathing criticism from Kendrick Perkins.
Garland may get a pass for some, however, as he chose to play on amid a sprained left big toe that sidelined him for the first two games of the series, and two games against the Heat.
The All-Star guard averaged 14.0 points and 4.0 assists while shooting 34.2 percent from the field (16.7 percent from threes).
In the must-win Game 5, Garland finished with just 11 points on 4-16 shooting across 33 minutes in their 114-105 season-ending loss.
“Look myself in the mirror and see what’s inside and go with that,” Garland reflected in his end-of-season press conference.
“I definitely wasn’t myself out there. It was pretty uncomfortable, but like I said, trying to do anything to win the game.
“I’m just happy I got out there because I didn’t want to lay them out. Even if we weren’t all a hundred percent, we were all out there trying to put our best foot forward, and that’s all we can ask for.
“So, I’m happy I went out there. It doesn’t matter if I was hurt or not. I’m happy I went to battle with my guys.
“They wanted me out there. I wanted to be out there. And everybody else that was banged up, I’m happy that they came out to battle and participate in the war.”
Across the season Garland was relatively healthy, playing in 75 games. He averaged 20.6 points with 6.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds.
Jeff Teague previously noted that the Cavs’ success lies on Garland and Mitchell’s firepower. But in the most crucial times, it was only Mitchell who emerged.
Regardless of what may happen this upcoming offseason, Garland will always have that love and admiration for the city of Cleveland and the Cavs fanbase.
“It’s a lot of love for this city. I call it like my second home now,” Garland said.
“I love the people here. It reminds me of where I grew up, Gary, Indiana. So it really does feel like home to me. I really appreciate everybody here. … It’s all love here.”
