Cleveland Cavaliers

J.R. Smith's ridiculous buzzer-beater caps Cavs' historic first half vs. Celtics

Published May. 19, 2017 10:58 p.m. ET

Andre Vergara

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers followed up their dominant Game 1 win in Boston with a historic first half Friday night.

James and the Cavs bludgeoned the Celtics from the opening tip, dominating on both ends of the court to quickly turn the game into a blowout.

Then, J.R. Smith added a buzzer-beating dagger to the most disrespectful half in memory:

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/865743208910700544

When the dust settled, the Cavs had a 72-31 halftime lead — the biggest in NBA playoff history, according to STATS LLC. The previous record was 40, set on April 26, 1987 (Pistons 76, Bullets 36).

Cavs fans were looking ahead to the NBA Finals, Celtics fans were looking ahead to the draft, and the rest of us were picking our jaws up from the floor — long before the 130-86 final, Boston's biggest home loss in playoff history.