Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith isn’t doing himself any favors in the aftermath of a major blunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Having been the central focus of the series since Cleveland’s loss to Golden State Thursday night, Smith is once again changing his story in relation to that now infamous play.
We all know the situation at hand. With the Cavaliers and Warriors tied and under five seconds left in the fourth quarter, Smith grabbed a George Hill missed free throw.
Instead of going back up with the ball, Smith proceeded to dribble it out to mid court, running the clock out in the process. Ultimately, Golden State would run Cleveland off the court, winning the game by 10 in overtime.
Smith appeared to tell LeBron James that he thought Cleveland was up one immediately after the wild sequence. But during his postgame press conference, the embattled guard said that he knew the game was tied.
Well, which one is it?
In talking to the media prior to Sunday’s Game 2, Smith backtracked in a big way. He’s now indicating that he wasn’t sure about anything at that point.
JR Smith goes back in his explanation of his execution at the end of Game 1 because he knew the game was tied: “After thinking about it … I can’t say I was sure of anything at that point”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 2, 2018
That’s just plain crazy stuff right there. And it’s not going to make Smith many more fans in Cleveland.
For the most part, the Cavaliers looked like they were going to steal Game 1 against the heavily favored Warriors. Smith’s mishap coupled with some questionable officiating enabled the home team to come out on top.
Even then, it seems we have more questions than answers heading into Game 2. That starts with Mr. Smith himself.