UPDATE 8:49 p.m.: Kyrie Irving making a three with 5:05 left in the third quarter, giving Cleveland 22 made threes, which is the all-time playoff record. Now, they need two more to surpass the regular season record, which is 23 made triples.
The Cavaliers set NBA playoff record for 3-pointers after 18 in the first half
This was one of the craziest things we’ve seen in basketball.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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Entering Wednesday, the NBA record for made three-pointers in one half was 12. The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't just break that record, or politely take it away from the Warriors, who had set it earlier in these playoffs. No, they annihilated it. They took lifelong ownership of it. They inserted their name into the record books with an 18-point ALL CAPS font.
Eighteen three-pointers was the final tally for the Cavaliers' first half against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, a half they won 74-38. Not only is 18 made threes the record, but so was the 27 three-pointers attempted. The NBA record for made threes in a playoff game is 21 and in general is 23. Both are easily in reach now.
J.R. Smith led the way, nailing six shots in 10 attempts. They weren't run-of-the-mill open threes, either. They were hand-in-his-face shots, shots taken after stepping backward or sideways out of the reach of a defender. LeBron James, who had struggled with his shot all season, nailed three in four attempts. The others who hit shots in that historic first half: Kevin Love (3-of-4), Kyrie Irving (2-of-3), Richard Jefferson (2-of-2), Channing Frye (1-of-1) and Matthew Dellavedova (1-of-3).
For the entire playoffs, the Grizzlies made just 19 threes. Cleveland will almost assuredly top that in the second half, maybe within minutes.
J.R. Smith's celebratory saunter sums it up.
So does the fact that the Atlanta Hawks CRYING JORDAN’d themselves.
Halftime pic.twitter.com/WxQhCekA5L
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 5, 2016
Poor Atlanta.
