Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland highlighted the excitement that came before his first seven-game playoff series, Cleveland.com Cavs reporter Chris Fedor wrote in a Thursday article.
“It’s a long time from last year to now, so it’s been always on my mind,” Darius Garland said. “It’s good to finally be in a series instead of a play-in. An actual seven-game series, it’s going to be fun. I’ve been waiting for it for four years now.
“My first time. My first rodeo. I’m pretty excited for it. I know the adjustments are going to be pretty fun, just to see how you can change on the fly. I’m ready for it. I’m prepared for it. Been watching film all this week. We’ll see how it goes.”
Even as Darius Garland fought to keep the Cavs’ hopes alive, scoring 34 points against the Nets before adding 21 against the Hawks, Cleveland slipped out of playoff contention last season after losses to the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks in the Play-In tournament ended their 2021-22 season.
Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff kept a positive mindset after the loss, saying the young Cavaliers were heading in the right direction after the 44-38 Cavs fell to the Hawks.
“We’re headed in the right direction, for sure,” Bickerstaff said, via the Associated Press. “We accomplished a lot this year.”
Darius Garland, a first-round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2019, scored 17 points when Cleveland clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 108-91 win over the Houston Rockets at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Cavs center Jarrett Allen notched 24 points and 14 rebounds in the late-March win.
“It feels good,” Allen said, via Cleveland.com. “All of our hard work over these past couple years finally paying off.”
Game 1 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks will be held at 6 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 15. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN.