Darius Garland

As he absorbed and overcame everything from defensive crowds to inadvertent elbows and hard falls during February 21, 2025’s show of resilience, Darius Garland discovered that his all-seeing court vision, ironically, wouldn’t allow him to see doubles — only W’s. Jumping the Cleveland Cavaliers’ almost-unguardable offense into gear before the game’s first commercial break, Garland first works off-screen, disattaching himself from Mikal Bridges’ defense, only to find the entire city of New York encircling his drive. Upper echelon in his rank among the NBA’s most creative dime-droppers, Garland opts for a thread-of-the-needle dish, scooping an underhand no-look pass past Karl Anthony-Towns’ surveillance, and into the hands of a cutting teammate for a jam. The roof on the Cavaliers’ arena remained rocked throughout, as they rode a 17-of-23 opening-quarter shooting display to a 142-point masterpiece and blowout win over a fellow Eastern Conference elite. Offsetting his off-shooting display with postseason-like mettle and supreme playmaking, Garland inconvenienced the New York Knicks through a nine-point, four-rebound, five-assist, one-trifecta contribution.