Cavs’ efficient offense grounds Hawks; three takeaways

2. Let me give you a hand

The Cavaliers did an excellent job passing the ball as evidenced by their season-high 35 team assists. By comparison, the Hawks had just 26.

One of the reasons the Cavs’ were so effective and crisp in their offense was, of course, LeBron James. As the Hawks continued to send an extra defender at James all evening, the self-proclaimed pass-first guy was perfectly happy to find his open teammates.

“They do a lot of double-teaming, tilting with the big, and that lets Bron pick the guys apart,” Lue said after the game. “He’s able to make passes over the double-team or guys cutting for layups, and when we’re playing with pace and getting out in transition, it’s tough for guys to get back and get matched.”

By halftime, James already had as many assists as he had points with nine. When all was said and done, James tied his career-high in assists with 17. Eight of those 17 came on 3-pointers. So if you’re doing the math, combined with the two 3s he hit himself, James was responsible for half of the Cavs’ 20 3-pointers.

It’s tough to say what exactly comes first in this instance. Do James’ teammates shoot so well because of his passing, or does James pass so well because his teammates are hitting shots?

It’s probably a mixture of both, but James was quick to credit his teammates.

“I can see plays happen before they actually happen,” James said. “It’s a gift of mine that I’ve had for a long time and, like I said, my teammates do a great job of making that gift that I have come to fruition at the end of it.”

LeBron on his 17 assists tonight pic.twitter.com/yAPVU4eETC

— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) December 13, 2017

In addition to James, J.R. Smith dished out a season-high eight assists, including six in the first half. Lue said that Smith was so into passing, he had to remind him to look for his shot.

“He got excited once he saw his numbers go up assist-wise,” Lue said. “He got pretty excited about it. So, we said you still gotta take your shots… When he’s making simple plays and making the right reads, he can pass the basketball.”

But all that help led to one of the best all-around offensive nights for the team as a whole this season.

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