If you know NBA basketball, you’ll know that it’s a team game. To win at a high level, the squad has got to be more about the greatness of one particular player. Role-players, bench guys, defensive specialists — they matter in basketball.
After all, not even All-Time greats like Jordan, Kobe, and Magic could do it without them.
So when a team gets to the NBA Finals, it should be recognized as a collective, group effort more so than an individual one credited to one or two superstars. In the case of the Lakers this season, we all know LeBron and Anthony Davis are the main reasons why they are where they are. But it doesn’t mean the others don’t deserve credit.
Which is why when J.R. Smith posted a picture of him with the Conference Finals trophy, there many who congratulated the 35-year-old shooting guard.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFoCC5Xh3Lv
But when you consider that Smith played in less than 70 minutes for the entire postseason and no minutes at all in the final four games of the Nuggets series, it’s fair to question whether or not he really earned that trophy. In that same Instagram post, one fan called him out, “jokingly” asking if he even played.
Not even Smith himself could deny the truth, but it didn’t seem to phase him one bit.
We’ll see if J.R. gets any more playing time against the Heat, but something says he’ll be alright with whatever so long as his team gets the win.
