Darius Garland has returned to form, and that’s bad news for Cavs opponents

Count me among those Cavaliers fans who were underwhelmed by the team’s offseason moves.

Don’t get me wrong: Signing Donovan Mitchell to a three-year extension was a big deal (not to mention a middle finger to every national sports pundit who said there was zero chance that Mitchell would stay in Cleveland). Locking down Evan Mobley was a no-brainer, in my opinion, and extending Jarrett Allen’s contract after a career year made sense.

And J.B. Bickerstaff had to go.

But, absent any splashy free-agent signings or convoluted multi-team trades, what did the Cavs do to put themselves in a stronger position to compete with the Boston Celtics this season?

How about bringing back a healthy Darius Garland?

While that’s maybe not the answer you were looking for, the Cavaliers are 4-0 to start the season, and Garland is a big reason why.

At his best, Garland is a quick, crafty, elusive slasher who can create his own shot and score on demand. Garland is a perimeter threat as well, and when his 3-point shot is falling – like it was Monday night in Madison Square Garden – it can leave opposing teams gobsmacked. Let’s not forget that Garland is a gifted passer as well, and was among the league leaders in assists for the past two seasons prior to 2023.

Speaking of last season, Garland missed 19 games after suffering a broken jaw in a collision with Kristaps Porzingis on Dec. 14, 2023. When he came back from the grueling recovery, Garland had lost weight, and never regained his groove. Even on his best nights after the jaw injury, he was a shell of his former self.

Fast-forward to Monday night.

In a rock-‘em sock-‘em, grind-it-out win over the Knicks, Garland was sensational, leading all scorers with 34 points. But it wasn’t even the point total that was most impressive. It was when he did it.

When Miles McBride hit a 3-pointer to give New York an 87-86 lead with 7:14 left, Garland answered with a trey to put Cleveland back on top, 89-87.

After Jalen Brunson tied the game at 89-89, Garland hit a floating jump shot off the glass to make it 91-89. After a Brunson miss on the next possession, Garland found Allen cutting to the basket to extend the Cavs’ lead.

Down the stretch, Garland drained two more 3-pointers, hit another jumper, canned two free throws and had two steals and two blocks – yes, blocks.

One of the aforementioned blocks came when Brunson was barreling toward the basket with just under two minutes to play, and the Cavs were clinging to a four-point lead. Backpedaling, Garland was the only obstacle in Brunson’s path, and he thwarted a potentially momentum-shifting Brunson dunk.

“Everyone’s gonna talk about his offensive game,” coach Kenny Atkinson said of Garland after the game. “I’m gonna talk about his two stops – his two blocks at the end of the game. Those were huge plays.

“ … To get that offensive game, we all know he can do that. But to add the defense to it, just a 10-out-of-10 game for him. He was phenomenal.”