“Everyone was making shots”.
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It’s time to make it rain on Sports Scene, which is exactly what the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted to do in Game Two of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Atlanta Hawks. ‘They shot (really well) in Game 1, but that was awesome’.
Cleveland went past Golden State’s record when Kyrie Irving nailed a 3-pointer with 5:06 left in the third quarter.
The league record for any game had been 23, set by Orlando in 2009 and matched by Houston in 2013. Cleveland began the night averaging an NBA-best 14.4 three-pointers.
J.R. Smith led the onslaught with seven threes in 13 attempts en route to 23 points in 28 minutes.
The defending Eastern Conference champions were even able to rest all their starters for the entire fourth quarter, but stayed quiet on the sidelines during the record chase. I don’t know what else to say. JR Smith led the barrage from beyond the arc with seven overall as 10 Cleveland players made three pointers in the second round postseason game. The other three: the Cavaliers’ transition game that sent them rushing downcourt to find shooters around the arc, extra passes in halfcourt situations to find open men and 12 offensive rebounds that sucked in Atlanta’s defenders but couldn’t stop the ball from then kicking to the outside. On one hand, they are the team from Game 1 that can rally an 18 point deficit in the second half to take the lead on the road.
Budenholzer tried Paul Millsap on LeBron from the outset on Wednesday night, but again, the Cavs shot all strategy straight out of the building.
“Tonight was a special night for our organization”, said James, who normally shrugs off accomplishments when they happen so as not to get sidetracked.
After making Cleveland’s 16th 3-pointer in the first half, the easygoing Smith skipped back on defence like a little kid on a playground as Cleveland’s towel-waving fans danced with delight and smelled blood.
The Cavs made 18 3-point shots in the first half. They’d scored 36. The Cavaliers had more than doubled the score against the NBA’s second-best team in defensive efficiency.
For the record: This is my second recap for Fear the Sword in the Playoffs.
Smith made six 3-pointers in the first half – the Cavs knocked down seven straight during one dizzying stretch – as Cleveland built a 38-point lead over the stunned Hawks, who will head home for Friday’s Game 3 down 2-0 in the series and utterly demoralized. With James and Kyrie Irving, this team has two guys than penetrate the paint basically whenever they desire.
So while it might not seem like the Cavs are being pushed to their limits, there’s such a thing as getting the right kind of preparation without losing games or inviting drama – especially for a team that has already had plenty of it, with an in-season coaching change and some joyless moments of disconnected play for their Big Three of LeBron, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
“When they put those shots down, I don’t know if anyone can beat them, to be honest”, said Hawks’ Kyle Korver.
With the crowd roaring, Kevin Love closed the half by burying a wide-open three from the right wing that, after two Kent Bazemore free throws, set the score at 74-38.
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“J.R.is the only guy on the team that has the ultimate green light”, James said.
