Kenny Atkinson Praises Cavs Veteran After Big Playoff Win

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have Darius Garland for Game 3 of their first-round series vs. the Miami Heat.

Even so, they didn’t need him.

The team stepped up in Garland’s absence to make a statement on the road and secure a 124-87 blowout win.

Jarrett Allen led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and six Cavs players finished the game with double figures.

However, Max Strus was the one who stole the show from start to finish.

Strus played well on the defensive end of the floor, and he finished the game with 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists to go along with four three-pointers.

Following the game, coach Kenny Atkinson praised him for being one of the team’s glue guys:

“I thought that play kind of personified who he’s been this series and who he is overall as a player,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson added. “He’s that ultimate role player that you need around great players — and he fits that to a T.”

Strus has had an up-and-down season since he missed the early stretch of the campaign with an injury, but he’s clearly capable of having these big nights.

He’s always been the kind of player who takes his game up a notch in the playoffs, and he wanted to give his former team a reminder of that.

The Heat are now on the verge of elimination, with Game 4 set to take place on Monday night.

Maybe the next time the media asks Bam Adebayo about Strus and whether he can be a factor, he’ll have a better choice of words to talk about his former teammate.