CLEVELAND: When Kyrie Irving hit 3-pointer No. 14, I felt like I was watching a scene in Hoosiers.
When J.R. Smith threw in No. 16 on one leg, it became a night when 50,000 people will say they were in Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday night, not 20,562.
Heck, maybe even 100,000.
All I know is I’m keeping this stat sheet for the rest of my life.
I won’t let it go because the Cavaliers’ NBA regular season- and postseason-record 25 3-pointers in a 123-98 romp over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals was the most euphoric basketball performance I’ve ever witnessed.
Perhaps that will be eclipsed if a Cleveland team ever captures a championship. But since living and dying with the 3 as the Cavs are doing this season seems so dangerous, that only heightened the thrill.
As the Cavs’ shots started to fall and the total started to rise, the screams of the crowd got more piercing. The shots thrown up by Smith got more ridiculous. Most of the six that Smith hit in the first half were off-balance fall-aways. At the end of the second quarter, he slowed things down on a fast break for one more shot at the sensational. He got it, although not himself, as Kevin Love canned a 24-footer with 15 seconds left in the qaurter.
Twitter lit up with fire emojis and words with ‘E’s’ replaced by 3s. Players on the Cavs’ bench couldn’t contain their delight as the half ended and the Cavs had 18, breaking the NBA playoff record for most 3-pointers in a half.
In the third quarter, the 3-thirsty fans starting chanting “Let’s go, Cavs!” when the team came downcourt seeking the NBA record-tying 21. The postseason mark fell on a 25-footer by Irving with 5:06 left in the third quarter.
Not satisfied, the “Let’s go, Cavs!” cheers continued even when the record was in hand. Iman Shumpert satisfied those with No. 23 with 7:20 remaining. That tied the mark for the most 3-pointers in both the regular season and postseason. Dahntay Jones shot that down with No. 24 with 2:22 to go, then Mo Williams sank No. 25 with 1:50 left.
As the Cavs hit 25-of-45 3-pointers, I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be on the other side.
The Cavs broke the playoff record of 21 3-pointers set by the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 against the Houston Rockets on April 24. The Cavs had previously owned a share of the mark after hitting 20 in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Detroit Pistons on April 20 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Entering the night, the Cavs were averaging a playoff-high 14.4 3-pointers per game and shooting .426 beyond the arc. They had made at least 12 3-pointers in five consecutive games, a franchise record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The all-time postseason record for 3-point average is 11.7 makes per game by the 2013 Houston Rockets, according to ESPN.com. The Cavs finished the regular season averaging 10.7 per game, tied with the Rockets for second in the league and trailing only the Warriors’ 13.1.
Now the Cavs seem to be gunning for the gunners. The Warriors perhaps?
The Cavs went 15-of-31 from beyond the arc against the Hawks in Game 1. But as good as they were Monday, there was no hint of the mind-blowing half of basketball that would follow.
Before the game, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue had an antiseptic explanation for why his team was leading the league in postseason 3-pointers.
“With Kevin posting the basketball, smaller guys have to double team,” Lue explained. “With LeBron being aggressive and driving the ball to the basket and Kyrie getting to the basket, teams are trying to shut the driving lanes off. That makes for guys kicking it out. We’ve got to make open shots. Kyrie, LeBron, Kevin do a good job sharing the basketball and we’ve just got to be able to knock shots down if teams play us that way.”
Notice there was no mention of Smith in that answer, even if he is one of the kick-ees.
Smith’s night ended with 50.8 seconds left in the third quarter. He finished with 23 points, including 7-of-13 on 3-pointers.
Wednesday became the game that should define Smith’s career. Unless, that is, there are greater things in store.
Even then, this stat sheet needs to be framed in my office. The most enthralling 48 minutes of professional basketball I’ve ever seen deserves that much.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.