Darius Garland offers blunt assessment of Cavaliers' strategy vs. Heat: 'Pick on Tyler Herro'

Don't expect to see any lengthy think pieces about how the Cleveland Cavaliers will overcome the Miami Heat in the playoffs, because Darius Garland just revealed the team's entire strategy. Garland offered a blunt assessment of the Heat on Wednesday, calling out a key Miami player in the process.

When asked how the Cavaliers plan to defeat the Heat, Garland put Tyler Herro directly in the crosshairs.

That's an incredibly revealing quote, the type you don't expect a player to say publicly. With that quote, Garland let the Heat know exactly what the Cavaliers are trying to do. He also potentially gave Miami some bulletin-board material for the rest of the series.

For any of this to matter, though, the Heat need to be able to stop the Cavaliers from utilizing that strategy. It's unclear whether that's possible. While Herro is a good player, his value comes entirely from his offense. He ranked dead last in the NBA in defensive win shares this season. There were 191 players better than Herro defensively.

The Heat can certainly try to hide Herro on the defensive end, but that's easier said than done. And if the Cavaliers are specifically looking to exploit Herro's defense, Cleveland will find ways to attack Herro.

The strategy has worked out for the Cavaliers so far. Following Wednesday's 121-112 win, the Cavs took a 2-0 lead in the series. Cleveland also dropped 121 points on the Heat in Game 1, so it's pretty clear the Cavaliers can impose their will on offense.

Unless Miami — and Herro — can figure out something fast, the series might already be over. Garland probably already feels that way, which was why he was so comfortable going public with Cleveland's strategy.

The only way Garland's comments can backfire is if the Heat can adjust. After two dominant performances by the Cavs, Garland must feel pretty confident that's not going to happen.