Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Darius Garland had been searching for his shot for weeks. Ever since a hard fall against the New York Knicks, Garland has struggled to find his rhythm.
After the fall, Garland’s efficiency had decreased and his once-deadly jumper and floater had betrayed him. But great players don’t just disappear. Instead, they adapt, they push through, and they find a way.
Against the Brooklyn Nets, the Cavaliers needed Garland to find his old form.
With Donovan Mitchell sidelined against Brooklyn, Cleveland was somehow staring down the barrel of a brutal home loss to the Nets. Given the dire situation, Garland had no choice but to dig deep and find a way.
Through three quarters, he had managed just 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting, his struggles compounding Cleveland’s deficit, which ballooned to 18 points. The moment was slipping away.
But then came the fourth quarter.
Garland refused to back down. He kept shooting, trusting his instincts, embracing the moment rather than fearing it. The shots that had eluded him for weeks suddenly found the net. His hesitation vanished, replaced by the confident aggression that had once made him one of the NBA’s most feared late-game assassins. Eighteen points in the final period. A 109-104 victory. A performance that redefined his season.
“Aggressiveness,” Garland said. “I was just taking the double team at first. Then in the fourth, I just had to start shooting the ball a little bit more. Being aggressive and trying to make plays for my teammates. That’s the difference.”
Darius Garland’s resurgence against the Nets made Cavaliers history
His resurgence couldn’t have come at a more critical time. The win marked Cleveland’s 15th straight victory, tying a franchise record and securing the Central Division title—the team’s first since the LeBron James era. But more than a mere milestone, this victory cemented what has been quietly brewing all season: Garland’s case as the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year.
“That’s the D.G. we all know,” said Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson. “That’s been him 95% of the season. Went through a little slump. But [it] was a great game to get him going. With Don out, he knew he had to take more on. I think that’ll spark him and he’ll be on his way to play great basketball again.”
When breaking down the numbers, it more than makes Garland’s case. He’s tied for ninth in total clutch points, scored in the final five minutes of close games, while shooting a blistering 58.7% from the field, 57.1% from three, and 87.9% from the free-throw line in those moments.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, boast an NBA-best net rating of 37.9 in the clutch, a staggering turnaround from last season when they were outscored by 5.3 points per 100 possessions in similar situations.
At one point in his career, before a difficult season derailed by a freak accident briefly dimmed his star, Garland was known as “Mr. Fourth Quarter.” After this season, and his heroics against the Nets, that moniker fits again.
Like Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard, the cold-blooded closers he idolized growing up, Garland has become a nightmare for opponents when the game hangs in the balance. His evolution is evident not just in his shooting percentages but in his decision-making.
Last year, Garland’s clutch struggles were glaring. He shot just 28.9% in those critical moments, his assist-to-turnover ratio a concerning 15-to-10. The Cavaliers were often undone by his erratic play, a young team learning harsh lessons in real-time. But those experiences shaped him, molded him into the player he is today.
“Failure, being knocked down makes you better,” Atkinson said. “From my perspective, (Garland) has been stellar from Game 1. He’s got everything. The character, the skills, the shooting. And this is with Donovan, too. They are elite free throw shooters. You need to make free throws at the end of the game. That helps you close out games.”
Garland took those lessons to heart. His offseason film study had one clear takeaway: get a shot on goal. No more rushed, ill-advised heaves. No more careless turnovers. Just calm, calculated execution.
“[It’s about] getting a shot on goal. That’s most important,” Garland explained. “[To] get a good shot instead of turning the ball over or forcing it. That’s the most important thing.”
Mr. Fourth Quarter has arrived just in time for Cleveland
This season, Garland has executed with surgical precision. He’s not just making shots—he’s controlling games. His 17 clutch assists against just three turnovers speak to his growth as a floor general. His ability to read defenses, exploit mismatches, and deliver in high-pressure moments has transformed the Cavaliers into the league’s most dominant closing unit.
Cleveland is 47-0 when leading after three quarters. Let that sink in. No other team has been as lethal with a lead, and Garland is a huge reason why.
The Cavaliers’ late-game mastery isn’t solely due to Garland—coaching adjustments, roster depth, and improved chemistry with Mitchell have all played vital roles.
Atkinson has implemented late-game strategies that maximize Cleveland’s strengths, often fouling up three points to prevent game-tying attempts, or fouling when up by three points to keep a two-possession cushion. But none of it works without a player like Garland at the helm.
“I just love his spirit and the joy he plays with even in the tense moments,” Atkinson said. “He’s been incredible in the clutch. It seems like at the end of the game he wants to make the big plays. He’s been our big-play guy at the end of the game all year.”
That joy, that confidence, that unwavering belief—those are the traits of a true closer. They are why Garland is not just thriving in the clutch, but dominating it.
Those traits are why the Cavaliers are winning games they would have lost a year ago. They are why Garland deserves to be the NBA’s third-ever Clutch Player of the Year.
This is Garland’s moment. This is Garland’s time. And if the fourth quarter against Brooklyn was any indication, when the playoffs arrive, the best may be yet to come.
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