Why Darius Garland's Offensive Outburst At MSG Matters For The Big Picture

Garland is a ceiling-raiser for the Cavs, and Monday night was a prime example of why.

Results early in the season often need to be taken with a grain of salt. Teams are still figuring out what their identities will be and how to play with new pieces in new systems with new coaches. Not every team has a level of continuity that allows for a magical switch to be flipped when the season begins and suddenly becomes a well-oiled machine. There are results early in the season that look silly when February rolls around. It is a make or miss league, after all 

That’s not what the 110-104 win by the Cleveland Cavaliers over the New York Knicks on Monday night felt like. That win felt like a statement for the Cavs, and more importantly for Darius Garland. 

I wrote on Sunday about Garland as a guy who can raise the team’s ceiling. Monday night is a prime example of what that looks like. Garland was masterful against the Knicks. While sharing the floor with two guys who both have Top-6 MVP finishes in the last two years (Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson) Garland was the game’s best player throughout the night and when it mattered most. 

The Cavs were trailing New York 72-59 with 4:19 left in the third quarter. At that point, Garland had 15 points. In the final 16:18 of game time, Garland scored 19 points and the Cavs outscored the Knicks 51-32.

Garland isn’t going to be this good every night. Few players in the NBA are. Those guys have MVP trophies and to think Garland is on that trajectory would be crazy. But Garland having this sort of night is a reminder he can be more than just a full-time sidekick or third fiddle to Mitchell and Evan Mobley. If Garland can carry the team to a win the way he did on Monday night with some regularity, it changes what this Cavs team can be expected to do.