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The Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as one of the best teams in the association, thanks in large part to how new head coach Kenny Atkinson unlocked their offense and made it the deadliest in the association. And they have carried over their elite level of production into their first-round matchup against the Miami Heat in the 2025 NBA playoffs, with Donovan Mitchell looking to lead his team to a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday night.
When the Cavs have it going offensively, they're always going to be a difficult team to beat. And on Wednesday, they sure have their cannons firing from beyond the arc. In the second quarter of Game 2, the Cavs exploded for 11 made triples — setting the record for most three-point makes in a single quarter in playoff history, as per Tim Reynolds of AP.
This past season, the Cavs were one of the most effective teams in the league when it comes to making the most out of the three-point shot. They finished the 2024-25 regular season ranked second in three-point makes as well as three-point percentage, blending volume and efficiency at such a high level.
Among players in their current rotation, only Jarrett Allen doesn't shoot threes. This makes defending the Cavs such an impossible task at times especially when the team's two All-Star guards, Mitchell and Darius Garland, have it going at the controls.
At the time of writing, the Cavs have nailed 17 three-pointers on the night on 51.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc — elite production. Five different players have made multiple treys for Cleveland, with former Heat wing Max Strus leading the three-point charge with four makes from deep.
Never underestimate the Cavs' firepower
Despite winning 64 games this past regular season, there are some that question the Cavs' chances of making a run for the championship. But one thing's for sure, their offense is championship-level with plenty of safeguards in case their three-point shot isn't working on the night.
Every Cavs rotation player demands a bit of respect on the defensive end; Isaac Okoro is the player that comes the closest to being someone opposing defenses can dare to make threes, but even then, the Cavs can simply cut his minutes and give them to either De'Andre Hunter or Ty Jerome depending on the matchup.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen can also contend with other bruising frontcourts, while Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are two of the most difficult guards to contain in this league. The makings are certainly there for the Cavs to mount a deep playoff run.
