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When used correctly, the three-point shot can be a vital tool for NBA teams.

Just ask the Cavaliers.

Yes, two of the biggest reasons the 38-11 Cavaliers are sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference have to be the broad shoulders of reigning league MVP LeBron James and the teams’ defensive effort. But their ability to hit three-pointers at an impressive rate has to be up there as well.

If you happened to catch the Cavaliers stomp all over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, you understand why.

The Cavaliers made 11-13 three-point attempts in the opening period en route to a 46-point quarter. Leading the way was James, who made 5-6 from beyond the arc.

The 25-year-old wasn’t just making threes, he was making deep threes. Even a 30-foot three wasn’t out of his range during the period.

“You wanna force him to shoot shots,” said Daniel Gibson at Cleveland Clinic Courts on Monday. “But if he’s shooting three-pointers at half court, there’s nothing you can do. That’s when he becomes unstoppable.”

For the game the Cavaliers shot 16-27 from the three-point line, an astonishing 59 percent. Four of those threes came from Gibson, including two in the critical first quarter.

“Shooting is contagious,” said Gibson. “I’ve never been a part of a quarter like that, the way we were shooting shots and everybody was making them.”

Although the team’s performance from beyond the arc on Sunday was something incredible, the Cavaliers are no stranger to shooting threes.

They are second in the NBA in three-point accuracy at 40.7 percent, just behind the Phoenix Suns (40.8). The Cavs are 7-1 this season when they make 10 or more threes, with their only defeat being a 111-109 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Leading the three-point barrage have been Gibson and Anthony Parker.

Gibson is first in the league in three-point percentage at 48 percent. Parker is fifth at nearly 45 percent.

Just outside of the top ten, at number 11, is injured point guard Mo Williams at 43 percent. Their high shooting marks have helped James average a career-high eight assists per game this season.

Many team have been forced to double-team James because of his ability to punish defenders who try and guard him one-on-one. This has led to open shots for Gibson, Parker and Williams, among others, who have been mostly successful in making the opposition pay.

All opposing teams seem to be able to hope for when Cleveland comes up on their schedule is that the Cavaliers will have a rough shooting night, which has happened on occasion this season. The Cavaliers have shot just 37 percent from the three-point line in their 11 losses this season, well below their shooting clip in victories.

Even if they are able to stop the supporting cast from hitting threes, defenses must still defend the three-point line against James.

The Cavalier superstar is shooting a career-best 36 percent from the three-point line and is ninth in the NBA in made threes.

James has had some cold streaks from the three-point line this season. He shot 0-7 from beyond the arc against the Raptors earlier this month and then 1-9 two nights later against the Lakers.

But he can be absolutely deadly when he gets hot, as shown by his performance against the Clippers the other night when he scored 23 first-quarter points.

“LeBron came down and hit a couple of deep threes, which you’re okay with because he’s a great player, he’s feeling it and doing that thing that they call a ‘heat check’,” said Cavs coach Mike Brown after the game. They were all at the right time, they were all in the flow of the offense and that’s what makes making those threes so special; they weren’t bad ones.”

James has come a long way from the 18-year-old rookie who had little confidence behind the three-point line. He has turned it into another weapon in his arsenal, which is bad news for the rest of the league.

“He’s gotten so much better as an outside shooter,” said Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy after Sunday’s game. “He can create his own shot any time and he is so strong.”

Like the dunk, the three-point line isn’t just a highlight play, it is a valuable shot.

A valuable shot that the Cavaliers will look to utilize all the way to The Finals.