The Internet is having some fun with LeBron James’s reaction to J.R. Smith’s blunder
Smith inexplicably dribbled out the clock with the score tied.
The image captures the moment perfectly. It shows a flabbergasted LeBron James, arms outstretched, his face full of disbelief as he looks at J.R. Smith after Smith inexplicably dribbled out the clock with Game 1 of the NBA Finals tied.
Smith had gathered an offensive rebound on a missed free throw, and appeared to be in good position to at least attempt a follow-up, but he instead retreated to half-court as time expired in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers went on to lose the game in overtime, 124-114.
It turns out the image conveys more than just James’s anguish. His reaction to Smith’s miscue was embraced by the Internet, which turned it into a meme within hours.
One from comedian Patrick Monahan featured characters from “The Simpsons,’’ with Frank Grimes expressing his displeasure with Homer.
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Patriots fans incorporated it into an image from last year’s Super Bowl, with an exasperated James pointing out to Bill Belichick that Malcolm Butler was on the sideline, ready to play.
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Staying on the football theme, one meme circulated where Richard Sherman expresses his frustration to Seattle coach Pete Carroll as a diagram of the ill-fated played from the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots appears in the corner.
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Others kept the original image intact, and used it to describe life’s frustrating moments, like this one.
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And this one.
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In this case, the comparisons to Michael Jordan might be spot on.
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A couple others touched on recent themes in Boston sports.
JR Smith: I was tryna find Kyrie
LeBron: KYRIE IN BOSTON pic.twitter.com/g9ELI5DR7F— Charlie Kaczorowski (@charliekacz) June 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/SethWickersham/status/1002618107641454593
