Nobody saw this coming, not even the Miami Heat, who were up against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the playoffs. But in a game packed with stars like Donovan Mitchell, Tyler Herro, and Darius Garland, it was Ty Jerome who lit the fuse and blew the roof off Cleveland’s playoff opener.
Making his long-awaited postseason debut, Jerome showed up with a bang. From career role player to Cavaliers hero in one night, his performance had shades of greatness written all over it. And just like that, Jerome entered elite company alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Ty Jerome Joins LeBron James and Kyrie Irving With Historic Playoff Debut
In his playoff debut, Jerome poured in 28 points, becoming just the third player in Cavaliers history to score 25+ in their first playoff game. Only King James (32 in 2006) and Irving (30 in 2015) sit above him.
It’s wild to think Jerome, who battled a tough ankle injury and barely played all season, would have this kind of breakout. But when Cleveland needed a spark off the bench, Jerome turned into a human flamethrower.
At one point, Jerome had 20 of Cleveland’s last 28 points. And during a blazing fourth-quarter run, he scored or assisted on 24 straight Cavaliers points. He shot 5-of-8 from deep, knocking down 3s that cracked Miami’s zone defense wide open.
One after another, Jerome made the Heat look completely lost. Coach Kenny Atkinson wasn’t exaggerating when he said Jerome is “Steph-like” when he gets hot, and Sunday night proved that.
Additionally, just hours before the game, Jerome was announced as a finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. That alone made for a great headline, but what he did on the court was certainly for the storybook.
The formidable duo of Mitchell and Garland were brilliant as well. Mitchell racked up 30 points and added five rebounds and four assists slicing through the Heat defense. Garland added 27, knocking down five triples and dishing out five assists. With Jerome, the trio became only the fourth group of guards in NBA playoff history to each drop 25+ points in the same game.
On the other side, Herro had 17 in the first half for Miami. But just when he was looking dangerous, Cleveland shut Herro down in the second, swarming him every time he touched the ball. He still finished with 21 on 7-of-18 shooting but failed to steer his team to victory.
By the time the final buzzer sounded on the Cavs’ 121-100 win, the message was clear: Jerome is up for the challenge, and he’s undoubtedly a legit playoff problem.