LeBron and the Cavs match playoff record for 3s, look solid up 2-0
This season’s Cleveland Cavaliers have often looked a little unsettled offensively, with players uncertain as to their exact roles or what positions to occupy on specific possessions. Those issues have not exactly disappeared in the first two games of the postseason against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the top-seeded Cavs have at least covered for any potential deficiencies with some explosive performances. One game after LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving combined for 81 points in a narrow Game 1 victory, Cleveland shot 20-of-38 from beyond the arc to tie an NBA playoff record for threes made in a game (a mark reached three times previously, most recently by the Golden State Warriors in last year’s conference finals). That perimeter dominance helped the Cavs to a 107-90 win that opens up a 2-0 lead in the series.
[Follow Dunks Don’t Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]
Eight Cavaliers made at least one three-pointer, but one player stood above all others. The ever-streaky J.R. Smith took 11 of his 13 attempts from three-point range and made seven, finishing with 21 points.
Plenty of other players excelled from deep — Kyrie Irving went 4-of-7 on his way to 21 points — but Smith’s shot-making was most emblematic of the team-wide success. LeBron James teams have typically been at their best with capable spot-up shooters around him, and Smith has been one of the league’s best in that role for years. He’s not the most dependable player around, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him put up another line or two like this one again this postseason. Perhaps it’ll even come in this series.
If Smith made the offense work with the end-product, LeBron was still the clear catalyst for Cleveland’s success. That was especially true during a game-changing 20-8 run over the last six-plus minutes of the third quarter, when the Cavs turned a two-point deficit into a commanding lead entering the fourth. This was LeBron at his do-everything best — making threes, getting to the basket, finding teammates, and coming up with big plays on defense. He finished with 27 points on 12-of-18 shooting, but his impact extended well beyond scoring even if six rebounds and three assists don’t stand out as especially notable.
Nevertheless, rookie wing Stanley Johnson insists that he’s getting to James:
Detroit will not be happy to go into a two-game hole, but they can at least proceed with confidence. The Game 1 loss proved that the Pistons can compete with the Cavs, and the first half Wednesday served as more evidence to the point. Detroit shot 20-of-39 from the field before the break, with most of the damage coming in the interior. A 37-point second half that included seven third-quarter turnovers suggests that the Cavs have a defensive gear the Pistons can’t easily match, but a poorer shooting exhibition for Cleveland in Game 3 could very easily change those dynamics. For that matter, the Pistons can probably expect to shoot better than their 4-of-17 mark from outside in Game 2.
Friday’s Game 3 will mark the first playoff game in Detroit in seven years, so we know the crowd will have the Pistons’ back. The big question for that game is if the Cavs’ strong offense will travel well, particularly for the role players and Kevin Love, who followed a dominant Game 1 with a more pedestrian 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting in Game 2 (though not necessarily because of the rough defense anticipated by Marcus Morris before the game). Detroit has played well, but Cleveland is in firm control of this series. It’s up to them to maintain that grip.
– – – – – – –
Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
