NBA Playoff Teams Living and Dying by the 3 This Postseason

The three-point shot has become more critical than ever in the NBA. With such large defenders manning the interior, teams that can't spread the floor face serious spacing issues. It's simply very hard to navigate into the paint on every possession.

So it's time to either get busy living by the three or get busy dying.

It's still very early, but a couple of teams may be shooting themselves out of the playoffs, while a few others may be using the longest-range weapon in the game to help them advance to the second round.

Living: Golden State Warriors

One of the biggest sports stories of 2013 came when an electricity failure delayed the Super Bowl featuring the San Francisco 49ers. Honestly, I'm surprised that another Bay Area team didn't face a similar problem in the basketball postseason this year.

Because in Game 2, the Golden State Warriors shot the lights out.

They made a ridiculous 14-of-25 (56 percent) of their threes while destroying the Denver Nuggets 131-117. It was almost laughable in the second and third quarters, as the Warriors pulled away by outscoring their opponents 70-52 while hitting 10-of-13 threes. This included 6-of-8 from sharpshooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

It's safe to say that if they keep that up, they won't miss David Lee whatsoever.

In fact, had they hit one more three in Game 1, the Warriors would be heading home with a 2-0 series lead. Despite pretty good long-range shooting (8-of-22, 36.4 percent), they lost by two points.

With 46.8 percent three-point shooting through two games, Golden State easily leads all playoff teams. There is probably no way the team can match its Game 2 outburst. But if it hovers around 40 percent, the supposedly underrated Nuggets may not advance.

Dying: Milwaukee Bucks

It was probably the Milwaukee Bucks' only chance. Maybe, just maybe, if they made an inordinate amount of three-pointers, they could beat the reigning champs.

So much for that.

Monta Ellis (2-of-15) and Brandon Jennings (5-of-24) have made just 17.9 percent of their treys this postseason. That's horrendous.

For perspective, according to Basketball-Reference, only one player in the NBA who took more than 100 threes this year shot less than 25 percent from three-point range (Reggie Jackson of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who made just 23.1 percent).

The inaccuracy really helped ruin Milwaukee's chance to win its first game of the series with the Miami Heat in Game 3. Leading 50-48 at the half, the Bucks seemed to stand a chance on their home floor.

Then the second half happened.

Led by Jennings' 0-of-4 performance from deep, the team missed 9-of-10 threes in the final two periods. The Heat put the clamps on and started pouring in points at will as soon as they walked out of the locker room, outscoring the Bucks 30-18 in the third quarter. 

The dream was dead. 

Now, the two teams probably won't even head back to Miami for a fifth game. The sweep should conclude Sunday afternoon in Wisconsin.

Living: Indiana Pacers

George Hill is unconscious. He started off the Indiana Pacers' Game 1 win over the Atlanta Hawks by making six of his first seven shots, including 2-of-2 from behind the arc. His 15 points led all scorers in the first half.

Overall, in two games, Hill has made 7-of-11 threes. 

This is the main reason the Pacers have shot so well from behind the arc—and Hill's shots have been badly needed. Because despite Paul George's brilliant play in general, he has shot just 1-of-9 from deep in the series. Hill's fine shooting, on top of Gerald Green's 6-of-13 shooting from three, has done a great job of masking George's slump.

As a team, Indiana has shot 38.6 percent, good enough for fourth best in the playoffs. It's a good thing, too, since Atlanta has made 40 percent of its long-range shots.

With the Pacers controlling the rest of the court—and nearly matching the Hawks' shooting—it's no wonder they will be trying to take a 3-0 series lead when the teams face off for Game 3.

Dying: Houston Rockets

In two playoff games, the Houston Rockets have shot 71 three-pointers. That's astronomical.

To put this figure in context, the Rockets and New York Knicks each averaged 28.9 attempts per game during the regular season, and that is the highest total any team has ever had. Now, in the postseason, Houston is averaging almost seven more per game.

It's simply nuts. In the playoffs, they say the game slows down. Not here. Not for Rockets.

But the more-staggering stat is their make rate: A measly 25.4 percent.

They have hit just 18-of-71 shots from behind the arc through two games. Compare this to the Golden State Warriors, a team that has taken "only" 47 threes but made 22.

After you break it all down, the most surprising fact of all might be that the Rockets still had a good chance to win Game 2.

Living: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten themselves into a shootout. The Houston Rockets have been bombing away from three-point land throughout the first two games of their series, and the Thunder have been more than willing to keep up.

The two teams are easily leading the postseason in three-point attempts—and it's not only due to their uptempo play.

According to NBA.com/Stats, these teams are launching a stunning 63.9 three-pointers per 100 possessions. The next most-three-happy series? The Miami Heat/Milwaukee Bucks, at 46.8 three-point attempts per 100.

The disparity makes it seem like the Thunder and Rockets are playing under a different set of rules, like with the National and American Leagues in baseball. Maybe they have a designated shooter who just parks in the corner?

Either way, it has been very beneficial to the hot-shooting Thunder while it is killing the errant Rockets.

Oddly, it isn't Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook leading the way. Neither has made even 25 percent of his triples. Instead, the role players are scorching nets. Derek Fisher, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Thabo Sefolosha and Kevin Martin have all hit at least 38 percent of their long-range attempts.

Fisher (60 percent) and Jackson (50 percent) are unlikely to keep this up, but if the non-All-Stars can continue to make a lot of their shots, the Thunder may be able to ride this hot shooting back to the NBA Finals.