The newly revamped Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t shy about letting it fly from three-point range in their game versus the Boston Celtics on Sunday night. They shot the lights out from way downtown with LeBron James assisting on a number of them.
The Cavs shot 16-of-30 from three-point range as the Celts were helpless to stop them.
After the smoke cleared, the Cavaliers came out on top 121, Celtics 99.
Despite owning the league’s most suffocating defense this season, the Celtics didn’t live up to their reputation by leaving many of the Cavaliers’ shooters free to shoot from outside on several occasions.
This amazing stat underscored two things about the Celtics’ defense in that game and James’ ability as a floor general:
- The Celtics weren’t communicating well defensively all game, leaving shooters wide open for three-point shots.
- The new players helped James create those opportunities for the Cavs’ shooters by funneling the defense to him and finding them for a three-point shot repeatedly.
Boston has lost eight of its last 14 games, losing their hold on the top spot recently in the Eastern Conference standings to the Toronto Raptors.
James has repeatedly shown that he can find an open man from three-point range whenever he drives to the basket throughout his career. Though he has received some flak at times for refusing to take a shot during clutch situations by making the “correct basketball play,” this uncanny ability is one of his greatest strengths.
It served him well against the Celtics and it is expected to be one of the keys to the Cavaliers’ success in future games.