J.R. Smith’s huge mistake costs Cavaliers a chance at Game 1 victory
Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith made a huge mistake at the end of regulation in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night.
With the score tied 107-107, Smith secured the rebound of a missed free throw, then dribbled back toward half-court instead of shooting, apparently thinking the Cavaliers had a lead.
‘‘He thought it was over. He thought we were up one,’’ Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said.
Instead, the game went to overtime, where the Golden State Warriors dominated and secured a 124-114 victory for a 1-0 series lead.
Smith said he knew the score was tied.
“I thought we were going to take a timeout because I got the rebound. I’m pretty sure everybody didn’t think I was going to shoot it over [Kevin Durant] right there,’’ he said. “If I thought we were ahead, I would have just held on to the ball and let them foul me.’’
[fragment number=0]
Cavs star LeBron James would not speculate on Smith’s intentions.
‘‘I don’t know what J.R. was thinking,’’ James said.
[fragment number=1]
Durant also declined to explain the play.
‘‘I can’t talk about a situation that way because I do some dumb stuff on the court,’’ Durant said. ‘‘I don’t know what was going through J.R.’s head. He made a great rebound and gave them an opportunity to win the basketball game.’’
More photos:
After the rebound, J.R. Smith turned toward midcourt instead of shooting.
LeBron James urged Smith to do something immediately.
So Smith passed the ball.
