The jersey that Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith wore during Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals will be put up for auction, according to a report from Sports Illustrated.
As most hoops fans will remember, Smith had a bit of a brain fart, as they say, in the closing minutes of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. His teammate, George Hill, had a chance to put the Cavs ahead with two free-throws in the closing seconds of the game. However, Hill missed his second attempt, which left the game tied at 107. The rebound came Smith’s way, but instead of hoisting up a shot or driving to the hoop, he dribbled the ball out to the 3-point line, which burnt up most of the remaining time on the clock. Overtime ensued and the rest is now history. Golden State went on to sweep the Cavs, who never really seemed to recover after that blunder inside Oracle Arena.
On the league’s auctions website, Smith’s game-worn jersey from that game was available for public bidding. As of 11:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, the jersey was valued at a whopping $1,810.
Smith logged 39 minutes in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, scoring 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field (2-of-6 from beyond the arc) while tallying six rebounds and two assists.
During his post-game media availability, head coach Tyronn Lue noted that Smith thought the Cavs were up by one point in those closing seconds. During his own presser, Smith stated that he knew the score and was hoping for a timeout or a drawn foul.
“George shot the free-throw,” Smith said. “It was a tie ball game. We had a timeout, and I was trying to get enough space — because K.D. (Kevin Durant) was standing right there — I was trying to get enough space to bring it out to maybe get a shot off.
“I looked over at Bron’ (LeBron James) and it looked like he was trying to call timeout, so I just stopped,” Smith added.
Would a better decision in those closing seconds of Game 1 have made a difference for the Cavs in the series? Perhaps. Some believe the mishap broke the team’s spirit going forward, while others dismiss such a notion. Either way, the Cavs should be proud of their season, and all of the blame can’t be placed on Smith’s shoulders alone. After all, making it to four straight NBA Finals is no small feat.
