So much for Heat Culture.
The Cleveland Cavaliers snuffed out the Miami Heat in a 138-83 dismantling on Monday night to complete a first-round sweep and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Heat never stood a chance, as they came into the outing on the back of a 37-point loss on Saturday and a combined 67-point deficit through the first three games of the series up to that point.
That gap only grew after the first quarter on Monday as Cleveland came out of the gates with a 43-17 lead in the opening frame. They didn’t take their foot off the gas the rest of the way either, as they cruised to a 72-33 lead heading back to the locker room for half-time.
In total, the Cavaliers had a plus-122 point differential over the four-game set, which is the largest in a series in NBA history.
The Cavaliers built up the massive lead off the back of Donovan Mitchell, who netted 22 points through 24 minutes and got to sit the entire fourth quarter. Jarrett Allen added 14 points, 12 rebounds and six steals while shooting 5-for-5 from the field.
Though they qualified through the Play-In Tournament, the Heat certainly looked like the East’s 10th seed, as All-Star guard Tyler Herro finished with a brutal four points on 1-of-10 from the field.
With the win, the Cavaliers now get some well-earned rest as they await the winner of the series between the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers lead that series 3-1 with Game 5 set to take place Tuesday night.