Cavs use three-point shot to take commanding 2-0 series lead vs. Pistons

The Cleveland Cavaliers took a 2-0 series lead over the Detroit Pistons after a 107-90 victory on Wednesday Night and three-point shooting was the key to the Cavs success.

J.R. Smith couldn’t believe it.

“We shot 38 threes?!,” Smith said, interrupted a reporters question after the Cavaliers game two win, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“Damn!”

It was that kind of night in Cleveland, as the tables were turned and it was the Cavs who were unstoppable from beyond the three-point arc. After Detroit had an out of body experience in game one, knocking down 15-of-29 of their three-point shots, Cleveland bettered them in game two, hitting a franchise record and tying an NBA playoff record (1996 Seattle Supersonics, 2011 Dallas Mavericks, 2015 Golden State Warriors) 20 triples from 38 attempts.

“To be able to set an NBA record for threes made, it’s great to be a part of history when you’re going along a path that you trying to accomplish,” LeBron James said, via cavs.com. “Along that way, when things happen like that, you never take it for granted.”

The Pistons, unsurprisingly, were brought back to earth, making just 4-of-17 from downtown in game two.

The Cavs have used the three-point shot as a weapon all season long and it was the key in them blowing out the lead on Wednesday Night.

With 6:48 remaining in the third period, Kevin Love knocked down a three-pointer to give the Cavs a 63-62 lead, one they would keep for the rest of the night. Love’s three-ball was followed by a pair of triples from both Smith and James to close out the quarter, as the Cavs blew the lead out to 14 entering the final period.

From that point on, it was 12 minutes of garbage time, as the Cavaliers three-point shooting barrage didn’t allow the Pistons to get back in the game.

“We had a couple of bad ones,” Tyronn Lue said of the threes, via cavs.com. “I guess they call it a heat check. J.R. had a heat check early in the first half. LeBron made a couple of shots, he had a heat check late in the third or early fourth but overall, I thought we got some good shots, open shots.”

Lue is half-right in his assessment. While the Cavs did create good shots, only 11 of their three-point shots were uncontested in game two. They knocked down eight of them, good for a 73 percent strike rate on uncontested triples. Subsequently, 27 of the Cavaliers threes were contested looks but they still hit 12 of them, 44.4 percent, which is still an efficient number.

“We did take a lot of threes,” James said, via cavs.com. “They were a few we wish we could have got back but for the most part, when the ball was moving like it was and the shots we were getting, we can be satisfied with that.”

As with all things concerned with the Cavs, the three-point shooting success started with James. While he just hit two longbombs on the night, James was instrumental in getting into the paint and thus passing out to open shooters, as the Pistons defense drew towards him in the lane.

James was 10-of-14 on two-point shots against Detroit, including going a very efficient 9-of-11 from inside the paint. This allowed Cleveland to generate 26 catch and shoot three-pointers in game two, after they created 27 in game one. The Cavs knocked down 14 of their catch and shoot triples, 53.8 percent.

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Furthermore, the ball was moving, which gives the ball energy, one of the Cavs favorite sayings. Of 40 made field goals, 23 of them were assisted, which is a ratio that could maybe be a little better. However, 15 of the Cavs 20 triples were off assists, meaning the Cavaliers were moving the ball and shooting the best three-pointer available, not the first.

“I was open, so I shot the ball,” Smith said, in typical fashion, via cavs.com. “It’s kind of simple for me. Honestly, I got some great teammates who are willing to make the open pass. I’m just one of the guys fortunate to be in that situation to make them.”

Make them he did, as Smith went 7-of-11 from beyond the three-point arc in game two. Dismissing his poor performance in the NBA Finals, Smith was a big piece of the Cavalier puzzle during last season’s playoff run and if he can replicate that effort, it sets the Cavs in good stead to make the finals yet again.

Kyrie Irving went 4-of-7 from three, Love 3-of-7 and the bench combined to shoot 4-of-9 from downtown.

The Cavaliers morphed into a three-point shooting team in the second half of the regular season and with that, they will live, as they did on Wednesday, and die by the three as the playoffs roll on. As long as they’re making and creating good looks though, it will be a potent offensive attack, and will be tough to stop.

Three-point shooting stats via ESPN Stats and Information.