Cavaliers Open Playoffs With Statement Win Over Miami Heat

Allen brought a particularly noticeable energy, tracking down seven rebounds to go along with his four points. Any concerns over the well-rested Cavs getting off to a sluggish start quickly dissipated.

By mid-way through the second quarter, Cleveland had built a 15-point lead over Miami. And even though the Heat cut it to eight just before the break the Cavaliers still felt very much in control.

The same was true throughout an inconsistent third quarter, where they shot just 45% from the floor and a miserable 28% from three. Throughout that stanza, the Heat managed to cut the lead to single digits multiple times, but the wine and gold stayed comfortably at an arms length.

Then came the Ty Jerome cavalanche. Jerome ended the third scoring four of the team's final nine points. Then caught fire in the fourth, scoring 16 in the closing period to cover nearly half of the team's points for the entire quarter (34).

At one point, the Cavs not so not-so-not-so-secret weapon had accounted for 20 of the team's 33 points during a nearly 12-minute stretch from 4:07 in the third quarter until 4:29 to go in the game.

When the final buzzer sounded, he had dropped a ridiculous 28 points in just 26 minutes. Second only to Mitchell, who racked up 30.

A national viewing audience may have been caught off guard by offensive boom from Cleveland's sixth-man. Inside Rocket Area, it was just another day at the office for Jerome and the Cavs.

Hence why the 121-100 win felt very familiar. So too was a balanced box score that saw Mitchell, Garland and Allen all join Jerome in double figures. Other role players find their spots to contribute, as per usual.

The Cavaliers were themselves in Game 1. When they are, they're a team that is going to be too overwhelming for the Heat to beat four times over six more potential opportunities.

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