Insider Reveals What Cavs Still Need To Do Against Heat

The Cleveland Cavaliers are just one win away from punching their tickets to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

They can do so on Monday night when they take the court again in South Beach to face the Miami Heat.

They didn’t find much trouble getting past them in Game 3, beating them by nearly 40 points despite not having Darius Garland on the court.

Notably, that’s why Sam Amico believes they can’t afford to overlook them in Game 4.

Talking on his “Full Court Cleveland” podcast, he stated that the Cavs needed to make all the hustle plays, as the Heat are against the ropes, and they know they will play hard to stave off elimination and try to extend the series for a little longer:

“When we’re feeling confident and comfortable, we’ve got to still go out and make those hustle plays,” Amico said. “Especially against the Heat, because that’s their only chance—to be the Cavs on the board, get rebounds, defend, try to get away with some fouls. The Cavs eventually just finished the job, they put their pedal back to the metal.”

The Heat don't have the big guns to hang with the Cavs. #LetEmKnow

"The Cavs eventually finish the job and put the pedal down."

– @amicohoops

Presented by @INFINITIofBWhttps://t.co/tSf5EIRD7j pic.twitter.com/wtj5GxM8Tr

— Full Court Cleveland (@FullCourtCLE) April 28, 2025

The Cavs had a worrisome tendency to go through the motions at times, and while they were often able to work their way back into games and come back from big deficits, there’s no need to go through that if you’re the better team.

Garland is still dealing with a toe injury, and he might be forced to miss this game as well.

Needless to say, that’s far from ideal for a team looking to close things out.

Even so, they have more than enough depth and resources to make up for his absence.

The Cavs will have to walk a fine line on Monday, as they should try to go all-out to secure the win, but they also need to be wary about unnecessary and avoidable injuries.