A four-game series ending in a sweep isn`t always a total blowout, but the Cleveland Cavaliers` dominant sweep of the Miami Heat, which concluded with a decisive 138-83 victory on Monday, was a clear exception. This series was far from competitive after the initial games.
Heading into Game 4 on Monday, Cleveland had already established massive superiority over Miami, having outscored them by an average of 24.9 points per 100 possessions over the first three contests. They had particularly dismantled the Heat in Game 3 on Saturday, leading by as much as 40 points en route to a 124-87 win. Monday`s final game proved to be even more crushing.
While the final margin of victory was a staggering 55 points, the lead was even more extreme earlier in the game. The Cavaliers held a remarkable 70-25 advantage late in the second quarter and extended their lead to a peak of 60 points in the fourth quarter. The series concluded with Cleveland having outscored Miami by an overwhelming 33.5 points per 100 possessions.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra reflected on the devastating loss, telling reporters, “This series was humbling. These last two games were embarrassing.” He also credited Cleveland, stating, “But Cleveland`s also a very good team. We won whatever we won, they won 65 [regular-season games], we`re as irrational as we usually are, thinking that we have a chance to win this series and they showed us why we weren`t ready for that.”
This wasn`t merely a defeat; it was a historical obliteration. Below is a breakdown of the Cavaliers` record-setting sweep of the Heat by the numbers:
Cavs` Historic Sweep of Heat: Key Numbers
- Game 4 featured the fourth-largest margin of victory in NBA playoff history. (Only three games had a larger margin: the 2009 Denver Nuggets` 58-point win vs. New Orleans, the 1956 Minneapolis Lakers` 58-point win vs. St. Louis, and the 1973 Los Angeles Lakers` 56-point win vs. Golden State.)
- Game 4 set a new record for the most lopsided series-clinching game in NBA history, surpassing the Chicago Bulls` 54-point win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of their 2015 first-round series.
- Game 4 was the largest playoff victory margin in Cleveland Cavaliers franchise history, exceeding their 44-point win against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals.
- Conversely, Game 4 was the Miami Heat`s worst playoff loss in franchise history, significantly surpassing their 37-point loss to the Cavaliers just two days earlier.
- Across the four games, Cleveland outscored Miami by a cumulative 122 points. This marks the largest cumulative point differential ever recorded in an NBA playoff series. (The previous record was 121 points by the 2009 Nuggets in a five-game series vs. New Orleans.)
- Miami suffered a combined 92-point deficit in their two home games at Kaseya Center. This is the worst home point differential for any team in a playoff series in NBA history. (The previous record was held by the 2017 Celtics, who accumulated a 90-point deficit over *three* home games against the Cavaliers.)
- Miami`s Tyler Herro recorded a plus-minus of -44 in just 31 minutes during Game 4. This is the lowest plus-minus recorded by any player in a home playoff game during the play-by-play era. (Herro`s stats included 4 points on 1-of-10 shooting, 1-of-9 from three, and one assist.)
- Cleveland`s bench alone scored 73 points in Game 4. The entire Miami Heat team scored only 83 points total.
- Miami managed only 33 points in the entire first half. For comparison, the Cavaliers had already scored 35 points less than 10 minutes into the game, and they had scored 33 points *solely* from three-pointers by halftime.
- Cleveland`s 39-point lead at halftime was the third-largest halftime lead in playoff history and the largest ever recorded in a series-clinching game.
- The Heat ended the game with more turnovers (19) than assists (17).
- Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen recorded more steals by himself (6) than the entire Miami team combined (4).
- Despite Darius Garland being sidelined with a toe injury, Cleveland`s starting lineup — Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen — outscored Miami by 18 points in just 11 minutes during Game 4. This unit boasted an incredible offensive rating of 178.3 points per 100 possessions while allowing only 104.5, resulting in a dominant plus-73.7 net rating.
- The Heat join only one other team in NBA history to lose consecutive home playoff games by 30 points or more. (The other team being the 2017 Boston Celtics, also against Cleveland).
- The Heat have now lost eight straight home playoff games. Only the Philadelphia 76ers (nine straight, 1968-71) and the Detroit Pistons (nine straight and ongoing, 2008-present) have had longer home playoff losing streaks.
- This series sweep was the Cavaliers` first achieved without LeBron James on the team roster.
Cleveland will advance to face the winner of the series between the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks in the second round.
Jasper Hawthorne