Cavaliers guards draw blueprint to sending Heat home early in dominant Game 1

Role players swing series. When they're the best player on the court in the fourth quarter, it's essentially night night for the opposition.

After being named a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year on Sunday afternoon, Ty Jerome carved up the Miami Heat in his playoff debut. 28 points isn't what the Heat had on their bingo cards, but here we are. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers now lead the series 1-0. With lethal performances from each contributing guard on their roster, Miami has a lot of drawing to do on the board to counteract the Cavs speedsters.

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Heat must slow down the Cavaliers guard room or they'll be on vacation in a hurry 

While Jerome hitting this level of shot-making isn't an every-game occurrence, the Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland duo were bound to drop deep bombs.

Mitchell led the way with a 30-piece, and Garland chipped in with 27 points. Garland and Jerome stuck it to Miami, drilling five 3-pointers apiece. The Heat only connected on 13 3s as a team. 

Cavaliers fans are thrilled to see Garland perform in this manner after an injury-riddled postseason a year ago. We know how talented the silky, smooth ball-handling Garland is, and he can prove it on the big stage. 

Jerome caught fire in the final stage of Game 1. He scored 16 of his 28 points in the final period — stomping out any hope of a comeback Miami had. Jerome nailed timely shots and hunted Heat All-Star Tyler Herro time and time again in pick-and-roll scenarios.

Jarrett Allen didn't have a loud box score, but those brick wall screens allowed Jerome and the other two guards to dance with the space they provided. When Herro did recover from those brute screens, Jerome would put him in jail, cuffing him to his backside, or he'd stop and fire in Herro's grill. Nothing fazed Jerome in his playoff debut.

The Heat can look at Game 2 knowing Jerome had the game of his career so far. He's a real ball player, though. He's a 6MOY candidate for a reason. Jerome will continue contributing to the Cavs winning ways, but he won't average 28 points this series.

Herro was a man with a purpose in the first half, but Cleveland's defenses strangled him in the second half, only allowing him to attempt six shots in the final two periods. Finding a way to get their best offensive threat more involved will be the first thing the coaches discuss while rewatching tonight's game.

From Cleveland's perspective, you can count on Mitchell and Garland to continue this production. Evan Mobley will also look to establish himself on the offensive end as the series goes on. You can never count out the Heat, but the Cavs are in the driver's seat.