One of the most memorable moments from the 2018 NBA Finals was the Cavaliers blunder late in Game 1 when J.R. Smith held on to the ball instead of shooting or passing with just 4.7 seconds left on the clock and the game tied.
The Warriors went on to take Game 1 and eventually swept the Cavs for their second straight championship.
“It was tough, but it was the same after Game 2, 3 and 4. I didn’t take it no harder than those losses just because I made a mistake,” Smith said, via ESPN’s The Undefeated. “We all make mistakes. For my teammates to know that and have my back, (Game 1) wasn’t that bad. Talked to my coaches, everybody stood behind me 100 percent. The main thing was, OK, granted, you didn’t shoot the ball, but what if you ain’t get the rebound? Then what? We still would have been in the same situation. I could have shot and missed. Then what? I mean, it’s an honest mistake. People make mistakes all the time.”
Smith, a 14-year league veteran, brushed off the mistake, as reported by the Sporting News.
“I’ve messed up so many times in my life,” Smith added. “I mean, I can’t just point at one thing to be mad at.”
Smith was the butt of jokes following the event and was promptly made into a meme that circulated for weeks around the internet, but credit Smith for keeping a positive perspective through it all. He didn’t let the moment define him or weigh him down, via CBS Sports.
“For so long in my life it was always basketball, basketball, basketball,” he said. “Now my mindset is be the best family man as possible. Being an athlete don’t really matter to me. I mean, I want to be the best athlete I can be, but that’s not what I’m focused on. I’m focused on being the best family man I can be. That’s the hardest thing.”
Though Smith’s mistake could potentially have cost Cleveland a win on the road to open the Finals, it’s hard to argue that a correct reaction would have mattered. Golden State would go on to win three of the next four games by double digits in repeating as champions, so Smith potentially hitting a go-ahead bucket may have only delayed the inevitable.
Smith is entering the third season of his four-year, $57 million contract with the Cavs. He averaged 8.3 points per game last season. Here’s hoping Smith gets off to a good start.
Flip the page for a reminder of Smith’s miscue from Game 1.