On Sunday afternoon, it was the Cavaliers’ Big Three that did in Detroit. On Wednesday night, it was their big threes.
The Wine and Gold tied an NBA record, canning 20 three-pointers on the offensive end while holding the Pistons to just 37 points after intermission on the defensive end to earn the 107-90 victory at The Q – taking a 2-0 First Round series lead as the seven-game set shifts to Motown for the next two.
After a nip-and-tuck first half, it looked like the Cavaliers would be locked up in another 48-minute dogfight with Stan Van Gundy’s squad. But after falling behind by five early in the third quarter, Cleveland went on a 21-4 run to put them in the driver’s seat – coasting home for their 10th straight postseason win over the Pistons.
Despite the three-point barrage, the Wine and Gold’s Big Three still came up big again on Wednesday night. LeBron James led everyone with 27 points, Kyrie Irving followed up with 22 and Kevin Love doubled-up with 16 points and 10 boards.
But it was J.R. Smith who essentially stole the show – going 7-for-11 from long-distance, 7-of-13 overall – tallying 21 points to go with five boards and an assist.
The 12-year veteran, who set the Cavaliers’ single-season three-point shooting mark this year, went 3-of-4 from deep in the second quarter, when he and LeBron combined to go 10-of-12 from the floor overall – outscoring the Pistons, 32-25, after trailing Detroit took a five-point edge after one period.
“I was open so I shot the ball; it’s kind of simple for me,” said Swish. “I have some great teammates that are willing to make the open pass and I was just one of the guys in that situation to make them.”
James was his dominant self again in Game 2 – going 12-of-18 from the floor and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc in the 27-point effort, adding six boards, three assists and three steals.
And although he shot an even 50 percent from long-distance, the four-time MVP joked after the victory that he’ll leave most of that work for Cleveland’s specialists.
“We have designated snipers and I’m not one of them,” joked James. “I’m more of a … tank … or something like that.”
Kyrie Irving followed up his 31-point outburst on Sunday with a 22-point outing on Wednesday – going 8-of-18 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from three-point range – adding four helpers and a pair of steals.
The Cavaliers featured three players topping the 20-point plateau for the second straight playoff game, the first they’ve done that as a franchise since 1990.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
