Charles Barkley schools Darius Garland over disrespectful Tyler Herro comment: "You gotta be kidding me right?"

NBA legend Charles Barkley commented on the back-and-forth between Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland and Miami Heat's Tyler Herro.

Following Cleveland's 121-112 Game 2 win on Wednesday, Garland was asked postgame about the keys to winning against the Heat.

"Pick on Tyler Herro and take care of the ball," Herro said. "Don't play in tight spaces and pick on their weak defenders. Go after them."

Garland, a two-time NBA All-Star, was sidelined for Saturday's Game 3 due to a left toe sprain. This prompted a response from Barkley on "NBA on TNT."

"You gotta be kidding me right?" Barkley said. "You don't say that. You gotta play."

Barkley added that while Herro may not be known for his defense, the Heat star is an explosive offensive player. Herro scored 33 on 14-for-24 shooting, including 4-for-11 on 3-pointers in Game 2. In the series opener, the 6-foot-5 guard put up 21 points on 7-for-18 shooting (3-for-6 from the 3-point line).

"Don't act like he's a bum," Barkley added.

On Saturday, the Cavaliers dominated the Heat 124-87 in Miami to go up 3-0 in their first-round series. Herro was limited to just 13 points in 36 minutes.

Looking at the NBA's data on its website, in the three playoff games, Herro allowed the player he's guarding to shoot 57.8% (26-for-45). On the other hand, Garland let opposing players shoot 66.7% (12-for-18) in his two postseason games.

What was Tyler Herro's response to Darius Garland?

Tyler Herro, who was named to his first All-Star Game in 2025, responded to the remarks of Darius Garland on Friday. Miami Herald's Barry Jackson quoted Herro as saying:

"At the end of the day, it’s competitive," Herro said. "But somebody who doesn’t play defense shouldn’t be talking. He don’t play any defense. We’ll see that tomorrow. I have enough fuel in me, in this locker room, around the organization, in the building, I don’t need any fuel from that guy over there."

Game 4 of the best-of-seven first-round series between Cleveland and Miami will be on Monday. Herro and the Heat hope to avoid a sweep and extend the series to a Game 5 on Wednesday in Cleveland.

Darius Garland's Cavaliers can close out the series and become the second team to advance to the conference semifinals after the OKC Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies. Cleveland will play the winner of the No. 4 Indiana Pacers and the fifth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.