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What and who is next for Cavs' J.R. Smith now that he's passed Dirk Nowitzki in all-time 3s Author: Joe Vardon Publication: Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — J.R. Smith said he didn't know beforehand that he was about to pass Dirk Nowitzki for 15th place on the NBA's all-time 3-point list.
“It's good to know now though,” Smith said Friday, after moving ahead of Nowitzki with three 3-pointers in the Cavs' 104-81 win over Detroit. “I guess I got to check to see who is up next.”
No worries, J.R., we've got you covered.
With 1,706 3-pointers, Smith needs just 13 to catch Dale Ellis for 14th place. Giving him a conservative, 150 3-pointers for the season, Smith would end ahead of Kobe Bryant (1,827) in 11th place and one 3-pointer behind Chauncey Billups (1,830) for 10th place. – CLICK HERE to read full story.
Scoring average is up but Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving still getting his share of assists Author: Jason Lloyd Publication: Akron Beacon Journal
CLEVELAND: One of Tyronn Lue's first moves after taking over as head coach was convincing Kyrie Irving not to look at the stats sheet. At least, not the assists column. So much time and focus was spent scrutinizing Irving's role as a point guard and facilitator that Lue told him to forget about his assist totals and just worry about attacking.
Yet a funny trend has developed as a result: Irving's scoring is up significantly this season, and his assist totals haven't really suffered. His 24 points per game is a career high, and his 5.0 assists aren't far off his career average of 5.5. Irving passed for a season-high 11 assists Friday, which was one off his career high.
“By him being aggressive, attacking, looking to score the basketball, that opens up his passing,” Lue said of Irving. “He's not Jason Kidd or Rondo, who can dominate the game with his passing, he's an elite scorer. By him being aggressive, attacking the basket, turning the corner, that opens up everything for his passing.”
Of course, the presence of LeBron James helps Irving not have to worry about traditional point-guard duties as well. James often has the ball in his hands directing the Cavaliers' attack, although he has turned over more of the duties to Irving early in the season. – CLICK HERE to read full story.
Kyrie: Little things mean a lot for Cavs Author: Sam Amico Publication: Amico Hoops
When you win a championship, you spend a great deal of time the next season trying to prove it was no fluke.
That's not the Cavaliers' primary concern, but hey, who doesn't love to drill the occasional opponent?
Especially when that opponent is a young, up-and-coming bunch like the Detroit Pistons? Or especially when that opponent is the same bunch you swept in the first round of the playoffs?
The Cavs haven't played since Friday and don't play again until Wednesday. LeBron James called it the longest non-All-Star break of his career. (He added that, then again, he doesn't actually get an All-Star break because he's always an All-Star.) – CLICK HERE to read full story.
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