On January 18, Beijing time, the NBA regular season, the Nets lost 107-114 to the Cavaliers. Yes, the two teams played inextricably, and the game needed to be fought until the last minute to decide the winner. At the crucial moment, the Cavaliers played a wave of 8-0 offensive climax to reverse the score. In the first 15 seconds of the final game, Harden made a fatal mistake, O'Corro stole a dunk and scored, and the Cavaliers sealed the victory. In the end, the Cavaliers won the game at home and won five straight.
In this game, the Cavaliers played best was the home guard Garland, who got a comprehensive stat of 22 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals, and scored 8 points and 4 assists in the last quarter, creating key scoring opportunities for teammates many times, and was the first contributor to the team's overturning of the Nets. The Nets have faced the Cavaliers twice this season, encountering a double kill. With this game's victory, the Cavaliers surpassed the Bucks in terms of record and returned to the top 4 in the East. The Cavaliers are currently only 1.5 wins away from the Bulls at the top of the table, and Garland is expected to lead the team to improve the ranking in the future.
Garland has been in hot form lately, averaging 20.5 points, six rebounds and 12.8 assists last week, leading the team to a four-game record. In the game against the Thunder, Garland got a career-high 18 assists and led the team to a 18-point comeback. As a result, Garland was officially named the best Eastern Conference player of the past week. It was also the first time in his career that he had been selected, the second Cavaliers to be elected this season, after Jarrett Allen.
In the past two games, Garland has combined 30 assists. It was the second player in Cavaliers history who could accomplish this feat in nearly 20 years, with James.
Garland's fiery performance on the court has also won him a lot of applause, and some fans think he deserves to be named to this year's All-Star Team. According to the previous All-Star second round of voting, Garland is no. 9 at the guard, which is already a very remarkable achievement for a third-year player who is still on a rookie contract. Considering that this year's All-Star Game happens to be held in Cleveland, Garland may really have any hope of being an All-Star.
With another week to go, Garland will celebrate his 22nd birthday. But his big-picture outlook and mature reading ability in the arena far exceeded his own age. Garland currently averages 19.7 points and 7.9 assists per game this season, nearly 20+8 statistics. And the only 7 players in history who can average 20 points + 8 assists per game before the age of 22 (Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Smiling Assassins Thomas, Marbury, Westbrook, Doncic, and Trae Young) show how good Garland is.
In James' fourth season away from Cleveland, the Cavaliers were able to define the absolute core of the team's rebuilding, and achieved good results under Garland's leadership. As Garland matures on the field, the Cavaliers are expected to continue to play as a dark horse and break through the east. This offseason, the Cavaliers have the right to complete an early contract extension with Garland in advance, and the team management will undoubtedly offer him a maximum salary contract.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)