Cavaliers at Hawks
The Cleveland Cavaliers are putting on a 3-point shooting show and are
on the verge of sweeping the Atlanta Hawks for the second straight
postseason. Cleveland made 21 3-pointers on Friday - four shy of its
record-setting performance in Game 2 - and looks to finish off the host
Hawks in Sunday's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Backup forward Channing Frye knocked down seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points in Friday's 121-108 victory, which marked the Cavaliers' 11th consecutive postseason win over the Hawks. Cleveland has made 61 3-pointers in the series -- the most through three games of any playoff series in NBA history. "We have some great shooters," Cleveland forward LeBron James told reporters. "The reason why we have great shooters is because that ball is popping - the ball has energy behind it, and guys feel confident when the ball gets to them that they can just let it go." Atlanta was outrebounded by a 55-28 margin in Game 3 but coach Mike Budenholzer downplayed the differential by saying "we outrebounded them in the first game and lost. I think what matters more is who scores the most."
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: Frye's performance was easily the best postseason showing of his career as his previous best effort was 20 points in 2010 when he played for the Phoenix Suns. He said teammate James Jones told him to shoot more because he's not a good passer and James has also been urging him to hoist more long-range shots. Three other Cavaliers topped 20 points - James had 24 points and 13 rebounds, point guard Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and power forward Kevin Love made five 3-pointers while contributing 21 points and 15 rebounds.
ABOUT THE HAWKS: Atlanta attempted to shake things up in Game 3 by inserting Thabo Sefolosha into the starting lineup and bringing shooting guard Kyle Korver off the bench. The move helped Korver as he made five 3-pointers while scoring 18 points - he averaged five points over the first two contests - while center Al Horford also had a breakout performance with 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting and expressed that more moves are necessary. "We're fighting for our playoff lives right now," Horford told reporters. "At this point, we have to do some changes, because what we've done hasn't worked."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers C Tristan Thompson had 13 rebounds in Game 3 and is averaging 11.3 in the series.
2. Atlanta PG Jeff Teague had 19 points and 14 assists in Game 3 after averaging 11 points (on 5-of-19 shooting) and five assists in the first two games.
3. Cleveland SG J.R. Smith is 13-of-24 from 3-point range in the series.