Smith's hot shooting, LeBron's dominance power Cavs past Hawks in East Finals opener

LeBron James reached another milestone and moved within three games of a fifth straight NBA Finals berth, but it was J.R. Smith who stole the show in Cleveland's 97-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Smith set a Cavaliers playoff record with eight made threes in a 28-point performance on 10-of-16 shooting, accounting for all of Cleveland's bench points as the Cavs opened a series with a road victory for the first time in franchise history.

Making matters worse for the Hawks, starting small forward DeMarre Carroll left Wednesday's game in the fourth quarter with a scary-looking knee injury.

Turning Point

With 3:27 remaining in the third quarter, the two teams sat tied at 63. Over the next five-and-a-half minutes, the Cavs blew the game open with a 22-4 run that saw Smith alone score 17 of his game-high 28 points.

The Hawks made a late run to keep things interesting in the final minutes, with Paul Millsap doing a solid job containing James following Carroll's departure, but Atlanta never got back within a single possession after the Cavs' Smith-led run.

Star Performer

Smith was the story, but King James was still the best player on the court.

LeBron finished with 31 points, eight rebounds, six assists and a steal in 38 minutes of action, adding another notch to his belt of historic accomplishments.

James slowed down some down the stretch as he settled for clock-milking isolations, but his overall performance over the course of Game 1 stood head and shoulders above anyone else who touched the court on Wednesday, all due respect to Earl Joseph Smith III.

Highlight Reel

Some miscommunication by the Hawks on D allows James to soar in for the dagger out of a late timeout:

Smith dusts Jeff Teague for one of his many stepback threes on the night:

• Kent Bazemore provides a rare second-half highlight for the Hawks
• Matthew Dellavedova's lob is just a little off
• So. Much. J.R.

Series At A Glance

Game 1: Cavaliers 97, Hawks 89
Game 2: Friday, May 22, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 3: Sunday, May 24, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 4: Tuesday, May 26, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 5: Thursday, May 28, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 6: Saturday, May 30, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 7: Monday, June 1, 8:30 p.m. ET