LeBron James, Cavs continue dominance of Hawks
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers took a commanding 3-0 series lead with Friday’s 121-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
History says this series will not last much longer, as it’s the 11th time in James’ career that his team has gone up three games, and eight of those ended in a sweep. The other two lasted only five games.
Here’s a look at how the Cavaliers got in done in Game 3 of this Eastern Conference semifinal series:
LeBron, Cavs own the Hawks
After James came back into the game with 7:41 left and the Hawks up 103-99, the Cavaliers went on a 22-5 run to end the game. The Cavaliers shot 7-of-13 during that stretch, with James scoring or assisting on six of those makes.
James was good on the defensive end in that span as well. The Hawks were 0-for-3 with James as the primary defender and he contested all of those shots.
The Cavaliers are now 11-0 all time in the playoffs against the Hawks, the best record by one team versus another in NBA postseason history.
James is 5-0 in his playoff career at Atlanta, averaging 31.8 points per game in those contests. That ties Jerry West for the most points per game over a 5-0 road stretch in NBA postseason history.
Cavs rain 3s again
After setting an NBA record with 25 made 3-pointers in Game 2, the Cavaliers made 21 more Friday. The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history (regular season or playoffs) to make 20 3-pointers in consecutive games.
The Cavaliers have made 61 3-pointers this series, by far the most by any team in the first three games of a playoff series. The previous record was 44 done twice, most recently by these same Cavs in the first round against the Pistons.
The big four?
Channing Frye scored a game-high 27 points, four more than he scored in the first six playoff games combined. Frye set playoff career highs in points, field goals (10) and 3-pointers (seven).
James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving also surpassed the 20-point plateau. The last time the Cavaliers had four players score 20 points in a playoff game was April 26, 1990, when Hot Rod Williams, Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty and Mark Price accomplished the feat.
