If Cleveland, which finished off its lopsided sweep of Miami Monday night, gets the De’Andre Hunter we’ve seen the past couple of games on a consistent basis going forward, watch out.
“I’m extremely comfortable,” the low-key, man-of-few-words Hunter that I remember from his UVA Basketball days told reporters after going for 19 points in the 138-83 Game 4 win in South Florida.
Hunter, acquired in a trade with Atlanta in early February, put up big numbers off the bench for the Cavs, scoring 14.2 points per game in 25.0 minutes per game in the regular season with Cleveland, shooting 48.6 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from three.
And then, Game 1 happened – Hunter goose-egged, no points, 0-of-4 shooting in 16 minutes in the 121-100 Cavaliers win.
“My only concern was, from my perspective, like, ‘Man, I’m kind of not finding the right position for him to succeed,’” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said.
What helped was teammate, and fellow UVA Basketball alum, Ty Jerome getting extra attention after going for 28 points in the Game 1 win.
Miami countered by sending an extra man at Jerome, who dished out 11 assists off the bench in the 121-112 Game 2 win.
Hunter was on the receiving end of several of the Jerome assists, as he scored 12 points, then went off for 21 in the 124-87 drubbing of the Heat in Game 3 on Saturday.
“Shoot, if they want to double-team Ty and leave me open, that’s fine,” Hunter said. “It’s gonna be different next series. Hopefully, it’s the other way around. Maybe I get a good Game 1, and they send people at me.”
Hunter averaged 17.3 points per over the final three games of the series, shooting 55.2 percent from the floor and 61.5 percent from three.
Jerome’s numbers for the series: 16.3 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, 52.4 percent shooting from the floor, 50.0 percent from three.
The sweep gives Cleveland a respite, as the series on the other side of the playoff bracket, involving the Indiana Pacers, coached by UVA Basketball alum Rick Carlisle, and the Milwaukee Bucks, stands at a 3-1 advantage for the Pacers, continues with Game 5 tonight in Indianapolis.
The earliest possible start date for Cleveland’s second-round series would be Saturday, and that’s assuming an Indiana win tonight in Game 5.
If that series ends up going seven, the Cavs wouldn’t get back on the court until next Tuesday.
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Chris Graham
