Cavs use 3-point onslaught to pound Hawks

LOS ANGELES -- The Cleveland Cavaliers fired a record-setting 25 three pointers as they pummelled the Atlanta Hawks 123-98 to seize a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series on Wednesday.

Cleveland produced 18 first half three pointers which propelled them to a 74-38 halftime lead. JR Smith led the barrage from beyond the arc with seven overall as 10 Cleveland players made three pointers in the second round postseason game.

"When he's making shots, it becomes contagious," said Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said of Smith.

Dahntay Jones' three-pointer with 2:24 remaining in the fourth gave Cleveland the all-time record, surpassing the 2009 Orlando Magic and the 2013 Houston Rockets, who each made 23 threes.

Mo Williams added the final three-pointer on the Cavaliers' next possession.

"We were getting open shots and taking open shots and we were making them," Lue said.

The Cavaliers also broke the record for most threes in a playoff game of 21, which was set by the Golden State Warriors last month.

The Cavaliers have won their last nine games against the Hawks and all 10 playoff games between the two teams.

The series shifts to Atlanta for game three on Friday and game four on Sunday.

Cleveland's halftime lead of 36 points is the largest in the NBA during a playoff game since 1987. The Cavaliers also led by as many as 41 points in the third quarter.

Lue said he also credited his defence with helping secure the dominating victory.

"Outside of the threes I thought our defence was great," he said. "That was our best defensive effort in a long time. If we compete and we play great defensively we can get out and run and pretty much get anything we want."

LeBron James scored 27 points, Smith scored 23 while shooting seven-of-13 from three-point range, and Kyrie Irving had 19 points.

Kevin Love added 11 points and 13 rebounds. Cleveland began the night averaging an NBA-best 14.4 three-pointers.

"We will just continue to keep sharing the ball. Our guys have a lot of trust. They trust each other on the defensive end and they trust each other on the offensive end. If a guy is open he knows he is going to get the ball," Lue said.

Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said the Cavs' three-point shooting was a big concern after Cleveland made 15 three-pointers in a game one victory. On Wednesday, Cleveland had 15 three pointers by the second quarter.

Paul Millsap had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta. Jeff Teague scored 14 points and Kris Humphries had 12.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Warriors rout Cavaliers in NBA Finals rematch

Stephen Curry scored 35 points, including seven three-pointers, in just three quarters as Golden State pounded the Cavaliers 132-98 in Cleveland on Monday in an NBA Finals rematch.

The Cavs (28-11) narrowly avoided their worst ever home loss while the Warriors (38-4) swept the season series and have won the last five games between the teams.

"That's who we know we can be," Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said. "They were absolutely phenomenal tonight. We can't really ask to play much better than that."

The Cavs suffered just their second home loss this season but were never really in it. They trailed by 26 at the half and fell behind by 43 in the second half -- their largest deficit of the season.

Cleveland's worst-ever home loss was a 114-75 setback against the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 20, 2012.

"Tonight was an example of how far we have to go to be a championship team," said James, who scored 16 points.

J.R. Smith had 14 for the Cavs, who fell to 0-3 this season against the West's elite -- the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love shot a combined four-for-16 and totaled 11 points. Love's only basket was a three-pointer late in the first half.

"They definitely played like the champions," Irving said.

The Warriors entered having dropped two of their last three games, including an 18-point loss at Detroit on Saturday. That loss seemed to be a wake-up call for the Warriors, who stormed to a 24-0 start this season.

The Warriors shot 54.1 percent and made 19 three-pointers.

Curry said before arriving in Cleveland he hoped the visiting locker room still smelled like the hundreds of bottles of champagne the Warriors sprayed in it last June when they clinched the Finals in Game Six.

The quip did not go down well in Cleveland.

"It was an overreaction to a comment," Curry said.

"Obviously, when I walked into the locker room, that's the last time I was there. We had a trophy, we had champagne and we had goggles. We had a good time.

"So the first time anybody on our team walks in there, that's what we're going to feel. The way I said it, in a sarcastic way ... it is what it is.

"It smelled like Morton's, our caterer, after the game. That's a good smell."

Golden State's Draymond Green flirted with what would have been his ninth triple-double before finishing with 16 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in three quarters, while Klay Thompson had 15 points.

Frustration set in for the Cavs in the second half.

Smith was assessed a 'flagrant-2' foul and ejected for running through Harrison Barnes' screen early in the third quarter, and James was whistled for a technical for pushing Festus Ezeli.

"We had a breakdown and we didn't respond to it," Cavs coach David Blatt said. "That and the lack of mental preparation more than anything else really hurt us.

"I told my guys that it starts with me. If they're not mentally ready to play, I take responsibility for that."

For the second time this season, the Cavs fell behind by 30 or more points in a game. They were also blown-out at the Portland Trail Blazers the night after they fell to the Warriors on Christmas Day.

Still, Walton does not believe the Warriors sweeping the season series in such emphatic fashion will give his team any type of edge should they meet again in June.

"To some teams, yeah. To a team that was in the NBA Finals last year and has LeBron James on it, it doesn't send anything," Walton said. "He's not going to let those guys get intimidated at all. I wouldn't imagine that does anything to them."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com