The Cavaliers have been deadly from beyond the arc all season, but the Wine and Gold took it to an entirely new level on Wednesday night.
Ten Cavalier players – (and the team’s mascot) – were deadly from deep as the Cavaliers set an NBA record for three-pointers in a game, drilling 25 triples as Cleveland demolished the Hawks, 123-98, to take a 2-0 series lead before a pulsating crowd at The Q.
J.R. Smith set the tone almost immediately – canning four three-pointers in the first quarter as Cleveland hit seven straight bombs to take a 15-point lead after one period. After that, franchise records seemed to fall with each ensuing triple.
By the end of two quarters, the Wine and Gold had set the mark for three-pointers (18) and points (74) in a half, with Swish setting the individual franchise mark with six before intermission.
In the process, the Cavs ran out to a 74-38 halftime edge and kept their foot on the accelerator through the third quarter – not allowing Atlanta to shave a single point off their deficit. By the end of the period, Cleveland had hit more three-pointers (22) than the Hawks had field goals (20).
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around – with the starters watching safely from the bench – the only drama was whether Cleveland would break the NBA record and which Cavalier would hit the shot that broke it.
It turned out to be a guy who signed with the squad on the last day of the regular season – Dahntay Jones – who drilled a 23-footer off a feed from Richard Jefferson to send 20,562 into a frenzy, breaking the NBA’s regular and postseason mark set by the Magic in 2009 and the Rockets in 2013.
Almost lost in the record-breaking performance is the fact that the Cavaliers extended their current Playoff run to six straight and their postseason winning streak against Atlanta to 10 straight. With the next two games of the series set for Philips Arena in Atlanta, the Hawks now face the daunting task of having to beat Cleveland in four of the next five to advance.
LeBron James led both squads with 27 points – going 9-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from long-range to go with five assists, four boards and three steals in three quarters of work.
J.R. Smith – who came off the bench to drop eight triples on Atlanta in Game 1 of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals – finished with 23 points on Wednesday, going 7-for-13 from long-distance and 8-for-14 from the floor overall.
”When J.R. is making shots, it’s great to see,” praised Coach Tyronn Lue. “He has a beautiful shot and when he’s making shots it becomes contagious. When he’s making shots like that, it’s hard for us to get beat.”
Kyrie Irving added 19 points in the win – going 5-of-9 from the floor, 4-of-5 from deep, adding a team-high six assists.
Kevin Love, symbolic of Wednesday’s win, went just 3-for-12 from the floor but was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc – finishing with 11 points and a game-high 13 boards to notch his sixth straight double-double to begin the 2016 Playoffs.
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