CLEVELAND, Ohio — Scribbles in my notebook after the Cavs beat Miami 121-112 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first round of the playoffs.

1. The bottom line is the Cavs won. They played two games at home, winning both. In a seven-game series, the team that wins the first two games prevails in the series 93% of the time. But I hope the Cavs realized how they easily could have blown this game.

2. For three quarters, the Cavs moved the ball. They were shooting from 3-point range at a near record-breaking rate – over 80% at one point in the second quarter. That’s when the Cavs made an NBA playoff record 11 shots from 3-point range. They had a 19-point lead.

3. Then, it happened. The Cavs began missing some shots. Or as coach Kenny Atkinson said, “We regressed to the mean.” In other words, the fun part of the game was over. Rugged playoff basketball ensued.

4. At the pregame press conference, I asked Atkinson about how he has been dwelling on what he calls “the possession game” and rebounding for months. In the second half and especially the fourth quarter, Miami began to control the boards. They tracked down long rebounds and loose balls.

5. I offered Atkinson the theory that highly-skilled teams that can shoot often fall into the trap of not working as hard as they should on the boards. “You have to do both,” he said. He said he keeps stressing that to the players.

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson keeps challenging his players to rebound more. They lost the battle of the boards 38-34 on Wednesday.John Kuntz, cleveland.com

6. The Cavs were outrebounded 38-34 by the Heat. Miami outscored the Cavs 44-28 in the paint. With 3:11 left in the game, the Cavs’ 19-point lead was down to two points. With 25 seconds left, it was 113-108.

7. The Cavs won this game for two primary reasons: They shot 49% (22 of 45) from 3-point range. When the offense was stagnant in the fourth quarter, Donovan Mitchell took over and scored 17 of the Cavs’ last 28 points. The only other Cavs to make a field goal in the fourth quarter was a tip-in by Darius Garland with 16 seconds left when the game was decided.

 8. Atkinson said “I’d love to see us react better when we don’t make shots … think we can just outshoot teams, it doesn’t work that way.”

9. More Atkinson: “We can’t be a make or miss team.” That means the Cavs can’t simply rely on their offense. They ranked 10th in defensive efficiency during the regular season. They can shut down teams. They can control the boards. But it takes more effort to do so in the postseason than in the regular season because the quality of the opponent and the intensity rises.

Cavaliers fans celebrate a 3-pointer by Donovan Mitchell in the fourth quarter during Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

10 . In the second quarter, the Cavs made shots from everywhere with nearly everyone having a part – eight different players made 3-pointers. They had a 68-51 lead at the half. They made the game look easy.

11. It was disappointing to see the offense and ball movement stall in the fourth quarter. Mitchell sensed problems, and simply took over the game.

12. Atkinson said: “It helps to have Donovan Mitchell, a superstar taking over the game. He knows the moment.” Along with scoring 30 points for his second consecutive playoff game, Mitchell also had six rebounds and six assists.

13. Another key to the game was the Cavs making 10 of 12 free throws in the final period. They were 21 of 23 for the game. Atkinson praised the team’s composure in the final minutes. Making the free throws and avoiding turnovers was part of that. They had only nine turnovers in the game.

14. Evan Mobley had a good night, scoring 20 on 7 for 10 shooting. He was 3 for 6 from 3-point range. He had six rebounds. Jarrett Allen led the Cavs with eight rebounds. He scored six points on 3 for 5 shooting. Allen can score far more vs. the Heat, but the Cavs have to look for the big man inside. They became so enamored with their outside shooting, they forgot about Allen – who led the team with a 70% mark from the field.

When De’Andre Hunter was on the court, the Cavs ourscored Miami by 12 points in his 23 minutes. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

15. After an opening game where he was scoreless in 16 minutes, De’Andre Hunter had 12 points in 23 minutes. Mitchell did a nice job looking for Hunter in the second quarter, getting him the ball so the forward could score. The Cavs outscored Miami by 12 points with Hunter on the court. Along with Sam Merrill, Hunter’s plus-12 was the best plus/minus on the team.

16. Atkinson said: (Hunter) was big time. As the stakes get higher, we are really going to need him.”

17. After scoring 28 points in 25 minutes in the opening game, Ty Jerome faced constant pressure from Miami’s guards. Jerome shot 2 for 8 for six points in 23 minutes. Let’s see how he responds in Saturday’s Game 3.