After months of being the laughing stock of the entire basketball world, it’s safe to say that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ J.R. Smith has moved on from his blunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Cavs guard’s Instagram post proves it as Smith poked fun at his NBA Finals blunder.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlCFcrvH-ha/?taken-by=teamswish
The lowlight has been turned into all sorts of memes, edited clips, and whatnot — all aimed at laughing at Smith’s mistake. Every NBA fan knows the play by heart by now.
With 4.5 seconds remaining, Smith got the critical offensive rebound after the George Hill miss from the free throw line. The game was tied at that point and the Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance to take the lead and possibly win the game.
But in a brain-numbing turn of events, Smith dribbled the ball around cluelessly instead of calling for a timeout or even hoisting a shot. The clock expired. LeBron James had frustration and disappointment written all over his face. Smith, meanwhile, appeared to tell him: “I thought we were ahead.”
Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Smith explained his side of the story:
“It was a tie ballgame and we had a timeout,” Smith said. “I tried to get enough space because, obviously, KD [Kevin Durant] was standing right there. I tried to get enough space to bring it out to maybe get a shot off. And then I looked over at Bron [LeBron James], and he looked like he was trying to call a timeout. So I stopped. And then the game was over.”
Smith’s blunder will forever be etched in the history of sports as one of the biggest mistakes committed. It’s a good thing that Smith has quickly moved on from it. It’s just basketball, anyway. For Smith, the little girl in the picture is far more important.