As far as regular season games go, the first quarter of tonight’s game was the most insane 12 minutes of professional basketball I have ever seen.
For anyone who didn’t catch the game, the Cavs went 11-13 from beyond the arc in the first quarter on their way to 46 points. (That’s 84.6% 3FG%, for those of you who love efficiency.) Lebron stole the show as usual by unleashing an unguarded fall-away 3 from the corner as if the clock was running out (it wasn’t), a stop-and-pop 3 in transition, a 27 foot bomb, and a 28 foot nuke.
The Cavs ultimately went cold in the second half and ended the night shooting 16-27 from distance. Bron hit 5 of 6 triples, Boobie hit 4 of 5, Parker hit 1 of 2, Jamario hit 2 of 5, Jawad hit 2 of 5, DDR hit 1 of 2, and Z hit 1 of 1.
If you’re counting (I am), that’s 7 different players knocking down a trifecta. The only player who actually attempted a three without a make was Darnell Jackson, who tried to get in on the act in garbage time. D-Block went 0 of 1.
Obviously this is a once-in-a-generation team shooting performance. It’s not as if the Cavs are going to be able to go out and put together a single quarter like that again. But none of those threes tonight was a fluke. Each one was taken by a guy who consciously shoots triples as a part of his game.
We should also keep in mind that two of the Cavs traditional 3-point threats were in suits tonight. (Well, Mo was. I’m not entirely sure what Delonte was wearing, but it wasn’t a uniform.) In my mind, this makes the whole situation even more ridiculous.
The Cavs are still #2 in the league in 3PT% at 40.2%. (Phoenix is first at 41.3%). Here’s the full list. Denver is 4th, Orlando is 9th, Atlanta 10th, Boston 16th, and the Lakers 19th.
The Cavs also have 3 of the top 11 three-point bombers in the league: Boobie at #3 (46.2%), Parker at #5 (44.6%) and Mo at #11 (42.9%). The only other team that has more than one player in the top 11 spots is Phoenix, who also has 3.The only other contender with a player in that top 11 is Boston. Paul Pierce currently (unbelievably) leads the league at 46.8%.
One final note about all this 3 point stuff: the Cavs are 10th in OPP 3PT%. The only other true contender in the top 10 in both 3PT% and OPP 3PT% is Denver (4th in own, 7th in OPP). All of the other “elite” teams are only strong on one side of the arc. Worth keeping in mind.
Cavs win streak: 8. Days to trade deadline: 18.
-T.
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