#CavsRank Moments: 12-11 (Fun With Numbers)

There’s a common denominator between the last two #CavsRank Moments before we break into our top ten, in that they both nearly required calculators just to help tabulate them and keep track. In both instances, the numbers just kept piling up at record levels, standing out as eye-popping binges of next-level scoring. The difference was that one feat came from a historic team effort to see just how many times they could multiply by three… while the other was one man’s quest to break the double nickel speed limit he’d already hit. So, apologies if it was your understanding that there would be no math… but its time to dust off your abacus, pull off your socks so you can use your toes if you need to, and count along with us.

12. Cavs set the all time playoff record for threes

Even though the Cavaliers’ dramatic comeback from a 3-1 deficit to prevail over the Golden State Warriors got (rightfully) the lion’s share of the attention, ultimately, there was another ongoing duel of one-ups-man-ship between the two eventual Finals combatants throughout the playoffs. Namely, who would wind up with the record for the most triples swished in one game.

The previous playoff record of 20 was held by multiple teams, including the Warriors who had tied the mark behind their Splash Brother backcourt in 2015 in a Conference Finals win over the Rockets. Golden State had also knocked down 20 in their final game of the 2016 season against Memphis to secure their record-breaking 73rd victory, behind a 10-19 blitz from Steph Curry. So, the Cavs figured the ball was in their court as they went out and dropped 20 of their own on the Pistons in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first round playoff series, adding their names to the list of elite long-range post-season bombers. Not wanting to allow this sort of unchecked aggression (and certainly not from their budding Finals rival from the East), the Warriors took a scant four days before obliterating the Rockets once again with a new playoff record of 21 threes.

Steph, Klay and company probably thought “Well, that settles it. We can always get one more than you can.” Little did they know… they and the rest of the world were about to witness the firepower of this fully operational battle station… and, all at the unfortunate expense of the relatively unsuspecting Atlanta Hawks.

The Cavs had been hitting threes with regularity, both in their series against the Pistons and in the first game against the Hawks, but nothing could really prepare those who witnessed the beyond the arc carnage that occurred on May the Fourth (aka Star Wars Day) of 2016. Whether the Cavs planned ahead to bomb the absolute life and spirit out of the Hawks as part of their gameplan for Game 2, after a more closely contested first game of the series, or whether they were just infected by the NBA Jam Fire exuding from the very pores of J.R. Swish that night, we may never truly discover. But, what we do know is that once the bombs started falling… they seemingly would never cease.

J.R. started the party with the first of his seven triples about a minute into the contest. He proceeded to erupt like an active volcano, spewing forth six total in the first half. But, he wasn’t alone. Seven different Cavs wound up sinking a record 18 threes in the first half, and they knocked down seven straight during one stretch in the second quarter, building a 38-point lead over the shellshocked Hawks. There wasn’t really much that Atlanta’s defense could do against the Cavs, who enacted their own version of pop-a-shot from range. After making the team’s 16th triple in the first half, Swish skipped back on defense as the bench waved their towels and the crowd howled with delight. By halftime, the Hawks were down 74-38 and for all intents and purposes, finished for the night (and ultimately the series). Even TNT’s Ernie Johnson got in on the gallows humor, when he segued into a commercial with “Game three of this series is Friday in Atlanta… If necessary.”

The Hawks organization tried to keep it light, as the team posted on its official Twitter account, “If you take away their 3s, we’re right in this.” Followed by this…

Halftime pic.twitter.com/WxQhCekA5L

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 5, 2016

Though the barrage abated somewhat after halftime, the Cavs were still able to add seven more in the final 24 minutes, while adding three more shooters to the mix. With the victory well in hand, the Cavs focused in on chasing the Warriors, and went past Golden State’s record when Kyrie Irving nailed a deep three (#22) with 5:06 left in the third quarter. But, the ravenous sellout crowd, still chanting “Let’s Go Cavs!” despite a 40+ point lead, were thirsty for more. They spent the final few minutes chasing history and when Dahntay Jones (of all people) dropped the 24th triple with 2:24 left, it bettering the overall mark of 23, previously held by Orlando (2009) and Houston (2013). Mo Williams added one final three for good measure to achieve the final historic tally of 25.

The Cavs were rolling so well, even Moondog got in on the act by making an over-the-head, backward heave from half court on his first try in the final minutes. It was a truly memorable night that almost made the fact that the Cavs also went up 2-0 on the Hawks a secondary storyline.

“Tonight was a special night for all of us who played,” said LeBron. “This league has seen so many great teams, so many great players and great shooters and for us to set an all-time record is truly special.”

To see just how special, here were just some of the amazing facts behind the record-breaking performance (courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information):

• Cleveland hit 18 3s in the first half. The previous record for 3s in a half was 12, set by the Golden State Warriors this season. There are six franchises that have never hit 18 3s in an entire game — playoff or regular-season — let alone in a half (76ers, Grizzlies, Jazz, Kings, Pelicans, Pistons).
• The Cavs have played four home playoff games this spring. They’ve hit 20-plus 3s in two of them. In Game 2 against Detroit they hit 20, tying a playoff record for 3s in a game at the time. Shortly thereafter, Golden State set a new playoff record with 21 3s in Game 4 of its first-round series with Houston. That record lasted all of 11 days until Wednesday.
• Of Cleveland’s 25 makes from deep, only one hit multiple parts of the rim before going in. The other 24 were either swishes or hit the bottom of the back rim.
• While the Cavs cooled in the fourth quarter, going 3-of-11 from 3 in the final stanza, they started 22-for-34 (64.7 percent). And for the game, they shot 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) on 3s that came after three passes or more.
• Ten different players hit a 3 for Cleveland.

The individual numbers from beyond the arc looked like this:

J.R. Smith 7-11

Kyrie Irving 4-5

Kevin Love 3-4

LeBron James 4-6

Richard Jefferson 2-2

Iman Shumpert 1-1

Channing Frye 1-3

Matthew Dellavedova 1-3

Mo Williams 1-4

Dahntay Jones 1-2

The only Cavs not to make a three were Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov (neither of whom attempted one), and curiously James Jones who missed the two he took.

In case you wanted to count them again, here is every one of the 25 in all of their glory (including one that caromed off of Mike Muscala’s skull)…

All 25 of the Cavaliers NBA record breaking threes.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/C0y2Ns3YbK

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 5, 2016

After the game, there wasn’t much the Hawks could say, but Kyle Korver summed up his feelings in a fairly prophetic way.

“If they shoot the ball like that,” Korver said, “I don’t know if anyone can beat them, to be honest.”

Though not as auspicious a display, the Cavs would drop another 21 threes in Game 3 on their way to sweeping the Hawks from the playoffs for a second consecutive year. The three point barrage would wane in the latter stages of the Eastern Conference Finals and The Finals, but the mere threat of their collective long-range arsenal changed the way they had to be defended.

11. Kyrie’s 57 against the Spurs

The DNA of what Kyrie Irving was able to unleash in the 2016 playoffs, and particularly in Games 5-7 of The Finals, could be witnessed in flashes that littered the past two seasons. One of the more memorable such Moments was his outburst against the Spurs in San Antonio on March 12, 2015. It happened in the midst of the turnaround stretch of the Cavaliers’ season that year, and despite the team playing generally well, they still hadn’t quite been able to take down a top opponent on the road. Recent tough losses at Chicago, Indiana, Houston and Atlanta had still shown the Cavs to not be quite ready for prime time. That all changed in overtime in San Antonio.

Kyrie would wind up not only surpassing his season high (which he had set barely six weeks earlier), he would also be the spark to lead the Cavs to extend the Spurs to OT and helped sealed the deal with what would now be considered an eerily familiar dagger. Kyrie collected a career-high and NBA season-high 57 points, making all seven of his 3-point attempts, was 20-of-32 from the field overall and made 10 free throws without a miss. He also mixed in five assists and four steals, and his fadeaway three sent the emotional game into overtime, where the Cavs rallied for a 128-125 victory over the defending NBA Champions. LeBron James was also back from a one-game absence to be part of the stellar night in what turned out to be one of the best games of the season.

“The kid is special, we all know it, we all see it,” James said. “For him to go out and put on a performance like he did tonight was incredible.”

His 57 topped his own NBA-best 55-point game against Portland on Jan. 28 of that year. He scored nine points in the final minute of regulation to tie the game and added 11 more in overtime to snap what had been a six-game winning streak for the Spurs at the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXxt8hJbelo

“A few of those shots, it just left my hands and I kind of threw them up at the rim and I was lucky enough and blessed enough that they went in,” Irving said. “It was such a fun game. The crowd was into it. They sold out, they came to see a great game and it was. Once Bron gets into those step-back 3s, we were just looking at each other, ‘Man, this is just so much fun.’ “

Before Kyrie’s heroics though, the game had the makings of another tough night on the road for the Cavs. They had came into San Antonio, gone toe-to-toe with the defending champions for the better part of three and a half quarters, but the Spurs had them on the ropes. A Danny Green corner three followed by a technical foul on LeBron for arguing with the refs put the Spurs up by 10 with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But, instead of letting up, they pulled off a remarkable rally.

Irving went on to hit a 3-pointer in the face of heavy defense from Green to pull to within 110-107 with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. After Kawhi Leonard uncharacteristically missed two free throws with 4.3 seconds left, Irving made his signature three, falling to his right over Leonard to tie it at 110.

He then scored 11 of the team’s 18 points in the overtime period, almost single-handedly matching the Spurs to pull out the much needed road win.

Among Irving’s accolades, besides his point total being a franchise record (with help from the Elias Sports Bureau):

• His 57 were the most scored in a game against a defending champion since Wilt Chamberlain scored 62 against the Celtics during the 1961-62 season.
• He scored the most points in a game by a LeBron James teammate and the most in a game against a Gregg Popovich coached team.
• It matched Purvis Short’s 57 points for the 1983-84 Warriors for the most in a game against the Spurs and was the most in a road game against them.
• He matched the most in a game by a player who was perfect from 3-point range. Irving was 7-of-7. Short was 2-for-2 in his 57-point game mentioned above.
• He became the first player with multiple 55-point games in a season since Kobe Bryant had three for the 2006-07 Lakers. Irving’s other such game was a 55-point effort against the Trail Blazers.
• He joined James as the only players in Cavaliers history with multiple 50-point games in a season.
• He’s one of three players with multiple 50-point games before turning 23, joining Rick Barry and James.
• He hit the game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer, part of a 20-point effort in the final minute of the fourth quarter and the five minutes of overtime. He outscored the Spurs in that stretch, 20-17. Irving was 6-of-8 from the field. The Spurs were 6-of-11.

Also, as it turned out, Kyrie’s point total was a Cavs record, too, besting James’ 56 against the Raptors in 2005. For his part, LeBron seemed fine with letting the youngblood have the top spot…

LeBron doesn't care about getting #Cavs scoring record back from Kyrie: "I've got 15 other franchise records. I don't mind lending one."

— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) March 14, 2015

More than anything, however, was the new found belief the Cavs seemed to have in themselves following the big win in San Antonio… something that LeBron knew they needed.

“I always say the best teacher in life is experience, and I think tonight was a great experience for all the guys that haven’t been a part of huge games like this,” James said. “Not in the sense that it was nationally televised, but [in the sense] of the competition. This is the best competition that you could find in our league, and for the guys to be able to stay composed and keep your head throughout the whole game, even when it wasn’t going so well, and sometimes where it was going so well. Just to keep your mind into it, more than the physical — the mental, as well.”