CLEVELAND, Ohio — Heat culture demands respect. Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra has earned his schematic reputation. But the Cavs just proved why they have no reason to fear the Play-In champs, no matter how playoff savvy they may be. Do you believe me now? ‘Cause during Sunday’s SCORE win against the supposedly scary Heat, the Cavs corrected their biggest playoff flaw from the last few springs. Physicality? Rebounding? Their flameouts have always been tied to bad offense. Cleveland ranked 16th out of 16 playoff teams in offensive rating two years ago, ninth last year. But Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson has built the league’s best, and it translates. Catch the Cavalanche: Cleveland cashed seven of its 18 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to close Game 1. Cavs star Donovan Mitchell weaved through traffic and spun layups around Heat defenders. All-Star Darius Garland played with poise en route to 27 points, five assists and only two turnovers. Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome took the game over with Mitchell on the bench (more on that shortly). And the Cavs won comfortably with a middling performance from All-Star forward Evan Mobley, who’s supposed to be their playoff bellwether. Point being: After two years of cringe-worth playoff offenses, the Cavs can’t be stopped. Raises a new playoff question concerning this series? Who should be afraid of whom? Four more takeaways from Game 1 of Cavs-Heat: 2. Ty Jerome can’t stop proving people wrong Ty Jerome couldn’t keep torching opposing benches in the playoffs, just like he couldn’t crack the Cavs’ rotation this season. ... Or maybe he just couldn’t stay healthy. Jerome catalyzed Cleveland with 28 points on 10 of 15 shooting against Miami. Crafty floaters, deep 3-pointers, multiple defenders, the sixth man could call his shot on Sunday, when he played his first career playoff game. Not that you’d know it from watching him. Jerome nearly outscored Miami’s bench (33 points) by himself. And he scored 16 of his 28 in the fourth quarter. Closer, sixth man, 16-game player? Call the playoff newbie whatever you like. Just stop telling him what he can’t do. 3. Passive Evan Mobley makes an appearance The Cavs keep driving the Evan Mobley bandwagon, and fans want to hop aboard. But Sunday’s nine point, seven-rebound performance raised another question about the Mobley-mobile’s playoff engine. Why didn’t he rev it harder? Nobody questions the All-Star big man’s defensive chops. The NBA announced before tip that Mobley is a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. He may well win the award. But for the Cavs to reach their ceiling, they need everything Mobley has to offer. Nine points on 10 shots? Not good enough, though perhaps understandable against a team with two strong interior defenders (Bam Adebayo and Ke’lel Ware). Seven rebounds in 33 minutes? “He should be a better rebounder. He just should...” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said earlier this week. Agreed. He has the size and athleticism. Atkinson praises Mobley’s ability to read missed shots off the rim. In a statistical category measured by meddle, it feels fair to ask: What’s missing? 4. Sam Merrill is here to stay This time last spring, Cavs shooting guard Sam Merrill watched more playoffs than he played. Merrill logged 24 minutes during Sunday’s win over Miami, marking the third time in his career that he’s played at least 20 in a playoff game. He finished with six points to go with four assists, and he spent plenty of time defending All Star guard Tyler Herro. Fun fact: Cleveland’s defense is 3.7 points per 100 possessions better with Merrill on the court than off it, which ranks second-best behind Evan Mobley among regular Cavs rotation players. Perhaps Merrill benefits from playing alongside elite defenders like Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade and/or Isaac Okoro. But Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson has praised Merrill’s defense all season. The advanced numbers say he makes a difference on that end. And his shooting prowess, which scares opposing defenses straight, has always impressed. Merrill ranked ninth on the team in regular-season minutes per game. He played the sixth-most in Game 1, and I wouldn’t call it a fluke. 5. Don’t worry about Mitchell’s ankle Cavs star Donovan Mitchell was sprinting, swerving and slamming like himself against the Heat. What a welcomed sight. While Mitchell sat the final four regular season games with a sprained ankle with, fans held their breath. He insisted the injury wouldn’t limit him this postseason, and Cleveland had already clinched the East’s top seed by the time he suffered the injury. Hard to tell whether Mitchell missed time due more to injury or rest. Still. When a superstar goes down, you can’t help but feel nervous. And the nerves don’t fade until Mitchell But after scoring after 30 points on several herky-jerky drives, Mitchell quieted any lingering concerns. Welcome back, 45. The city will sleep better knowing your time off paid dividends. Consider this Michael Jordan-esque finish as proof.