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The Cavaliers have the potential for ridiculous offensive games. We know this, but it is still jarring to see. Last night against Boston, they scored 122 points. It didn't seem that amazing, with Boston going toe to toe with them the entire time. Tonight, on the second night of the back to back set, the Cavs were on the Hawks from the start.
Who needs a drink?
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 16, 2014
Partway through the first quarter, the Cavs led 21-19. Joe Harris, Dion Waiters, and Tristan Thompson checked into the game, and they helped the Cavs embark on a 41-8 run that was some of the most dominant basketball you will see. The Cavs were 9-9 on threes in the first quarter. They hit 11 of their first 11. They had 23 assists on their first 27 shots. They held Atlanta to 25 points in the first quarter, and 18 points in the second quarter. the Cavs played great defense, and even when the Hawks did get good looks, they didn't hit them. The Cavs execution was mostly flawless, but when it wasn't they just hit tough shots too. Matt Moore of CBS Sports did a good job capturing that.
Here are some of the stupid statlines from tonight:
LeBron James - 32 points, six rebounds, seven assists
Kevin Love - 13 points, six rebounds, five assists
Kyrie Irving - 20 points, three rebounds, five assists, three steals, no turnovers
Dion Waiters - Nine points, eight assists, four steals
Tristan Thompson - 15 points, seven rebounds
Joe Harris - 12 points, four rebounds, four assists
Anderson Varejao - Two points, 10 rebounds, five assists
The 9-9 three-point shooting in the first quarter was an NBA record for most threes without a miss.
The Cavs' 19 threes for the game wass a team record. They shot 54 percent from the floor and 61 percent from three.
Observations
Shawn Marion and Joe Harris - Coach Blatt credited Marion mostly, but both did a wonderful job of chasing Kyle Korver all over the map tonight. Korver finished with no points on one shot. The Hawks -- the NBA's most prolific 3 point shooting team coming in -- shot 3-22 from deep as their shooters were constantly ran off the line. Korver was a healthy scratch in the second half.
Ball Movement - Not gonna get any more perfect that it was tonight. The Cavs amassed 39 assists on 49 baskets.
Energy - The Cav's scrambling defense never allowed the Hawks to establish the floor spacing they desired, and their hustle into sets generated enough open looks to bury the Hawks early and take them out of the game.
There isn't really a negative takeaway from this game. The Cavs allowed 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, but only allowed one in the second half. They probably won't put a performance this flawless together the rest of the year.
The Cavs next game will be on Monday when they host the Denver Nuggets. We'll see you then.