NBA
He waited 6 years for these 6 minutes: Cleveland star too hot for Miami
Ty Jerome stuns the Miami Heat with a dramatic fourth quarter to give the Cavaliers their first win of the series.
The playoffs are a place of magic. A stage for NBA giants, for iconic narratives, and for the birth of new stars – players who go from obscurity to spotlight in a single night. That transformation took place in Cleveland, where Ty Jerome delivered an unforgettable postseason debut, igniting the Cavaliers in their 121–100 victory over the Miami Heat.
At 27 years old, in his sixth NBA season, Jerome finally made his playoff debut – and made it count. He dropped 28 points, second only to Donovan Mitchell’s 30, and electrified Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with a fourth-quarter scoring burst that broke Miami’s resistance wide open.
Jerome’s hot six minutes
Jerome’s defining moment came in a six-minute stretch from 10:29 to 4:29 in the final quarter, during which he scored 16 of his 28 points. In that window, the Cavaliers extended a tense 87–79 lead into a commanding 111–94 cushion, effectively sealing the game.
The New York native was flawless from deep, hitting 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in that stretch, sending the Cleveland crowd into raptures. It was the kind of playoff arrival that rarely goes unnoticed – especially on a team that entered the postseason as top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Cavs blitz late as Heat struggle to keep pace
Cleveland controlled most of the game, but Miami never fully let go, constantly clawing back within reach – close enough to make the Cavaliers uncomfortable, but never close enough to take over. That lingering tension, the fear of giving life to a lower-seeded opponent, haunted the building until Jerome took over.
The Cavs eventually leaned on their greatest strength: a relentless offensive gear that few teams can match. Once they found it, there was no stopping them. Ball movement was crisp. Shooters were locked in. The Heat couldn’t ride the pace, and when Cleveland hit triple digits, the scoreboard began to race away.
It was a bad place to be for Miami – chasing a team that can score in flurries and share the load, a team where stars shine but role players explode.
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4
Evan Mobley
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1
Max Strus
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31
Jarrett Allen
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10
Darius Garland
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45
Donovan Mitchell
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8
Javonte Green
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12
De'Andre Hunter
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2
Ty Jerome
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5
Sam Merrill
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18
Chuma Okeke
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35
Isaac Okoro
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9
Craig Porter Jr.
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13
Tristan Thompson
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24
Jaylon Tyson
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32
Dean Wade
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21
Emoni Bates
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30
Nae'Qwan Tomlin
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33
Luke Travers
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| Min | Pts | TR | OR | DR | Ast | Los | Rec | Blk | S1 | S2 | S3 | RF | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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4
Evan Mobley
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33 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 3/7 | 1/3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
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1
Max Strus
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21 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 3/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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31
Jarrett Allen
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30 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2/2 | 5/8 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
10
Darius Garland
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30 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2/2 | 5/8 | 5/9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
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45
Donovan Mitchell
|
33 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6/7 | 9/10 | 2/9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
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8
Javonte Green
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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12
De'Andre Hunter
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16 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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2
Ty Jerome
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26 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/5 | 5/7 | 5/8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
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5
Sam Merrill
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24 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 2/4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
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18
Chuma Okeke
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1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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35
Isaac Okoro
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12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
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9
Craig Porter Jr.
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1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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13
Tristan Thompson
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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24
Jaylon Tyson
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
32
Dean Wade
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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21
Emoni Bates
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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30
Nae'Qwan Tomlin
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
33
Luke Travers
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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13
Bam Adebayo
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22
Andrew Wiggins
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7
Kel'el Ware
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18
Alec Burks
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14
Tyler Herro
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20
Kyle Anderson
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24
Haywood Highsmith
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11
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
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16
Keshad Johnson
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5
Nikola Jović
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9
Pelle Larsson
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45
Davion Mitchell
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55
Duncan Robinson
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2
Terry Rozier
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8
Josh Christopher
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4
Isaiah Stevens
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| Min | Pts | TR | OR | DR | Ast | Los | Rec | Blk | S1 | S2 | S3 | RF | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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13
Bam Adebayo
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39 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3/6 | 9/17 | 1/5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
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22
Andrew Wiggins
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38 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2/2 | 3/5 | 2/6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
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7
Kel'el Ware
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19 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
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18
Alec Burks
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15 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 2/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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14
Tyler Herro
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37 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4/4 | 4/12 | 3/6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
20
Kyle Anderson
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6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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24
Haywood Highsmith
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30 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 1/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
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11
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
16
Keshad Johnson
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
5
Nikola Jović
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
9
Pelle Larsson
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
45
Davion Mitchell
|
33 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 6/9 | 2/3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
55
Duncan Robinson
|
14 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 2/3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
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2
Terry Rozier
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
8
Josh Christopher
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
4
Isaiah Stevens
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |