As a 16-year NBA veteran across five different teams, J.R. Smith experienced countless highs and lows during his basketball career. His best moments came alongside LeBron James, with whom he won two titles on two different teams: the 2016 Cavaliers and 2020 Lakers. In a recent appearance on the ‘To The Baha’ podcast, Smith was asked to pick a winner if the two teams met in a playoff series, and he didn’t hesitate to reveal his conclusion.
“It’s not even close because you got an older Rondo, you got an older LeBron, older AD. That team in Cleveland, Kyrie? First of all, nobody on that Lakers team can check him, nobody,” said Smith. “AD would have cooked, but the way TT played, I can’t say he was gonna cook.”
LeBron has played with some stacked teams over the years, but that 2012-13 Heat squad is unmatched when it comes to sheer talent and star power. Between James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Shane Battier, and Udonis Haslem, they went 66-16 in a dominant run. After that team is where things get debatable.
Starting with the 2015-16 Cavaliers, it was all centered on the two-man game between LeBron and Kyrie Irving (arguably his best teammate ever). Kevin Love also played a major role, while veterans like J.R. Smith provided support from the perimeter. That team won 57 games to finish first in the East, winning the title over arguably the greatest team ever assembled (73-win Warriors). The only problem is that this team was overly reliant on James and Irving, who carried the Cavaliers in the Finals to save their season and capture the only championship in franchise history.
Meanwhile, the 2019-20 Lakers (52-19) carried a whole different identity. Built around defense and physicality under the rim, LeBron teamed up with Anthony Davis to form a powerful duo. While both James and Smith were older, this team was deeper and more well-rounded than the ’16 Cavs, with a long list of role-players that included Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, Dwight Howard, Alex Caruso, and Kyle Kuzma.
Ultimately, there’s no way to know for sure who would win in a matchup, but Smith knows more than most as someone who has been a part of both clubs. He makes a good point about nobody being able to guard Kyrie Irving, but the same could also be said about Anthony Davis from the Lakers’ perspective. Really, the biggest difference is James’ own play.
He was more athletic and more consistent on defense back in 2016, when he was still considered the best player in the league. By the time he joined the Lakers, LeBron’s physical and athletic decline had already begun, and the same could be said for most of that Lakers roster, which was much older than the 2016 Cavs team. That’s the deciding factor for J.R. Smith, and his only regret is that we can’t see it play out for real.
