LeBron James had one of the all-time great NBA Finals performances in 2016. LeBron and the Cavaliers went down 3-1 to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, but James helped the Cavs rally to come back and win the next 3 games to complete a 3-1 comeback and win the NBA championship, becoming the only team in NBA history to come back from 3-1 down in the NBA Finals.
One of the most crucial plays of that series came in Game 7 when LeBron James chased down Andre Iguodala, who was on the verge of making a layup to give the Warriors the lead, and blocked his shot. That shot allowed the Cavaliers to eventually take the lead, win the game, and the NBA championship.
But one of LeBron’s former teammates wants his share of the credit for that block. Former NBA champion JR Smith spoke recently about LeBron James’ block on Iguodala, noting that it was his effort that allowed the chase down to be a 2-on-1 play, but he won’t get the credit because it was LeBron James.
JR Smith says people blaming him for his 2018 finals mistake should also be giving him credit for LeBron’s chase down block on Andre Iguodala
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“Me and Bron used to do that every time. Somebody switch, if he got the ball and it is you on the break, just know I’m coming. Just give me a split second and I’ll get to it. I didn’t look behind me, none of that. Cool, Andre Iguodala go up, extra second, block, win, championship. You don’t give me credit for that because he got the block. But you give me credit for the loss because I rebound the ball and dribbled it out. On top of that, I’m the one who made him slow the ball up… It’s a totally different narrative to what suits the situation. You gonna call Batman the villain or you gonna call Joker the villain? They called me the Joker for 10 years already, so what you gonna do?”
Smith was also referencing his blunder in the 2018 NBA Finals and noted that he felt scapegoated by the blame he received, and only wants the credit he is due for his effort that allowed James to block the layup.
Smith is not entirely wrong about wanting credit, as he isn’t saying that he deserves more recognition than LeBron James. He is not blaming James for the entire situation, as James was only doing what needed to be done in order for the Cavaliers to win the game and the NBA championship.
