To say the Cleveland Cavaliers were on fire in Game 2 vs. the Atlanta Hawks would be a significant understatement.
They set an NBA record with 18 made three-pointers in the first two quarters, connecting on 18 of 27 en route to a 74-38 halftime lead over the Hawks. And just minutes into the second half, when Kyrie Irving drained another from the corner, they set the all-time playoff mark at 22. When it was over and the Cavs had secured their 123-98 win over the Hawks, the final tally was 25 three-pointers, a new NBA record for the regular season or playoffs.
Ten different players connected from deep.
The previous playoff record, held by the Golden State Warriors from Game 4 of their first-round series win over the Rockets, had been 21. The previous all-time mark had been 23 before Dahntay Jones connected late in the fourth for the Cavs' 24th three of the night. Both records stood little chance of lasting after Cleveland's scorching first half.
"The way we shot the ball, the way we moved the ball, it's amazing," said J.R. Smith, who finished 7 for 13 from three-point range.
The previous record-high for a first-half was 12.
Seven different Cavaliers players knocked down treys in the first half, led by Smith, who was 6-of-10 himself. Kevin Love and LeBron James each hit three. Irving and Richard Jefferson each knocked down two. Even Matthew Dellavedova and Channing Frye buried one from deep. The Cavs' ball movement was unparalleled as they had 23 assists on 33 made field goals by the time the third quarter was over. Several from James were of the highlight variety.
TNT announcer Reggie Miller called the exhibition comical. He compared it to video-game basketball. Each three-point attempt kept the Quicken Loans Arena crowd buzzing, and the Cavs’ players were jumping around on the bench and shaking their heads in disbelief.
The Hawks, despite the huge deficit, took it in stride.
There was nothing else to do but re-group for Game 3 in Atlanta on Friday.
