The Cavs made eight three-pointers in the first quarter, 10 in the second, four in the third and three in the third.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers converted their three-point attempts early and often against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and rode that momentum to a 123-98 victory in front of the home fans at Quicken Loans Arena Wednesday night. Indeed, the Cavs did.
Smith’s 3-pointer in the second quarter, after he dribbled behind his back to shake Hawks guard Kyle Korver, put the Cavs ahead 65-35.
Cleveland’s 25 3s in 45 attempts were the most in any game, regular or postseason. The historic shot was drained by Dahntay Jones, who is apparently now a member of the Cavaliers.
And off the Cavs went. Well, that was all they got. Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Atlanta 40 (Millsap 11), Cleveland 43 (Love 13). It should be a more competitive affair than Game 2, at worst.
These Cavs are hitting their stride, really hitting their threes and beginning to look like the team they believe they can be. Steph. Who would you build an National Basketball Association team around? After making just one three-pointer in the opening five minutes (and falling several points behind), the Cavs closed the period on a 19-4 run to finish the first quarter 8-of-12 from beyond the arc. He pulled up for an easy three on the next possession. He’s shooting 52.5 percent from beyond the arc this postseason. James then grabbed a defensive board, brought it up, and hit a wide-open Smith for the 30-16 lead.
You can forgive Bazemore for not knowing the exact number of 3-pointers being dropped on his team’s head, each one stinging more and more until the Hawks just went numb. They’re the East favorites for a reason.
Paul Millsap scored 16 points and Jeff Teague added 14 for the Hawks, who need to regroup quickly or they’ll get swept by the Cavs for the second straight year.
Unsurprisingly, a great deal of why all this works has to do with James, whose eternal journey to win one for The Land looks just a bit more auspicious at the moment.
Besides the starters, even the bench scorers had the hot shooting hand, with Richard Jefferson going 2/2 from deep, Channing Frye 1/3 and Iman Shumphert 1/1. “The guys have bought in to playing that way”. With respect to Andrew Bogut’s comments, and the Warriors as a whole, any discussion of Draymond Green as the best all-around player in basketball can wait.
Bosh is expected to remain with the team throughout the remainder of the playoffs – helping his teammates however he can. Sure enough he scored the first hoop.
Franchise superstar LeBron James shined the brightest for Cleveland in the win, having 27 points, four rebounds, five assists, and three steals. He ends up with seven, as part of a 23-point evening. It’s highly entertaining to watch them try though, because whatever regular season chemistry problems they suffered from are gone, and they’ve realized their potential as a wide open, spaced-out, offensive juggernaut. I don’t know what else to say. James respects but doesn’t fear the Hawks one bit, even admitting on the morning of Game 2 that he has thought about a potential reunion with the Miami Heat in the East finals. The backcourt and wing defenders let Cleveland get too comfortable and confident.
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The good news for the Hawks is they will fly back to Philips Arena for Game 3 on Friday at 7 p.m., with a chance to tie the series.
