J.R. Smith handed over $100 to coach Tyronn Lue after a Game 4 sweep of the Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon.
Lue had challenged Smith to remain active on defense while not falling for DeMar DeRozan‘s pump fakes. DeRozan used the move to draw fouls, and Smith agreed to pay $100 every time he left his feet for a pump fake.
Luckily for Smith, he had been disciplined enough to do it only once, but it was the one time he had to hand over a crisp $100 bill to keep his end of the bargain.
Smith told Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com that he realized his error immediately and knew he had to pay up.
“I knew it as soon as I did it.”
Ironically, Smith wasn’t the only player to agree to a similar deal but was the only one to fall for the pump fake at least once. It wasn’t so bad considering he was guarding the opponent’s best scorer, and it could continue to be a strategy Lue employs in each round of the playoffs.
