Twenty-three seconds into Game 2, J.R. Smith missed a three-pointer. That was probably the low point of the night for Smith and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who proceeded to hit an NBA record 25 three-pointers as part of a 123-98 blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
In a year where the Golden State Warriors
defined excellence in long-distance shooting, it was the Cavaliers to
deliver a night for the ages. Less than two weeks after Golden State,
sans Stephen Curry,
set the NBA postseason record with 21 three-pointers, Cleveland hit 25
in Game 2. That's not only the most ever in a playoff game, it's the
most ever in a regular season game, too, breaking the old record of 23.
All against a defense that was among the best in the league.
The Cavs got the records going
early by hitting 18 threes in the first half, which is also an NBA
playoff record. The team broke the old record for threes in a half (12)
midway through the second quarter, setting the stage for a performance
that's left its mark on the record books and, presumably, the Hawks'
psyche.
Smith led the team by shooting
7-of-13 from beyond the arc en route to 23 points in 28 minutes. The
shooting guard has been streaky throughout his career, but he's shooting
28-of-53 (53 percent) from three so far this postseason. While that
perimeter-oriented style has led to just four free throw attempts (and
one make) in 208 minutes, the efficient three-point shooting and lack of
turnovers (one in six games) more than make up for it.
J.R. was in the zone:
Ten different Cavaliers ended
up hitting at least one three-pointer. Cleveland took 45 three-point
attempts in the game, just one short of the playoff record set by the
Warriors a year ago. The Cavs shot just 16-of-42 (38 percent) on
two-point shots, but couldn't be stopped from distance.
LeBron James
even got in on the act by hitting 4-of-6 threes. The former MVP hasn't
always had his shot going this season, but everyone was participating in
Game 2. Kyrie Irving shot 4-of-5 from three and 1-of-4 on twos. Kevin Love shot 3-of-4 on threes and 0-of-8 on twos as part of an 11-point, 13-rebound effort.
The Hawks will need a better
all-around effort in Game 3 to turn around the series. Atlanta pumped
its numbers up in garbage time but scored just 38 points in the first
half. The team also allowed Cleveland to grab 12 offensive rebounds,
which didn't do it any favors on a night when the Cavs were feeling it.
With things heading home to Phillips Arena, maybe they can start to
salvage things, but after a closer Game 1 showed there was little room
for error, the wheels came off in Game 2. A year after being swept by
the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks need to avoid
that fate again.
Game 3 will be Friday night.
1 other thing
Atlanta is outclassed on the wings
The Cavaliers have an advantage in this area just about every night thanks to LeBron, so it's just not really fair to Kent Bazemore and Kyle Korver.
Still, it's clear those two simply aren't equipped to take on the likes
of a four-time MVP like James, let alone a sharpshooter like Smith,
over a seven-game series. The numbers when those two players are on and
off the court in Games 1-2 paint a scary picture
(via NBA.com):
| Per 100 Possessions | WITH | WITHOUT |
| Korver (56 minutes) | -35.7 | +3.9 |
| Bazemore (63 minutes) | -35.1 | +14.4 |
The Cavaliers' numbers also see huge bumps when James and Smith are playing vs. when they're on the bench.
While none of this is
particularly surprising in general, the degree to which Korver and
Bazemore are getting outplayed is worrisome. Korver averaged five
three-point shot attempts at a 40-percent clip during the regular
season. He's 1-of-3 in the first two games. The Hawks losing DeMarre Carroll at small forward over the offseason was considered a major loss, and in this series, we're seeing just how much they miss him.
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