It has been eight years since the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers were swept 4-0 in the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. But apparently, James is still reeling from the emotions of that series, nearly a decade later.
The NBA veteran, J.R. Smith, who has won two NBA championships with James, including one with the Los Angeles Lakers, recently sat down on the Pivot podcast and spoke about his side of the story on what the world perceived to be the biggest mistake in his NBA career near the end of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals.
George Hill misses….
JR Smith rebound… AND HE DRIBBLES IT OUT?!
OVERTIME!?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/mniWDuMbxG
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 1, 2018
In Game 1, the scores were tied at 107-107 when J.R. Smith gathered a crucial rebound on a missed free throw and dribbled out the clock instead of trying to tip the ball in or look for his own shot. Smith feels he had a valid reason for that.
“I was dribbling it out. So, first I got the rebound. I’m thinking we’re going to call a timeout because at that point, the game is per possession. Yeah. 107-107. So, I’m thinking, okay, bet. We’re not about to rush. We’re going to get the best shot possible.”
“Any other time, you look at it, and even now, teams do it. You get the rebound, you call a timeout and get it to your best player, and then they make the play. That’s how it goes.”
“I didn’t hear a whistle. So, I was like, ‘All right, s–t I’m going to take this b—- to the corner.’ Like, let me get some space. KD is seven feet. I ain’t about to shoot over this dude right here on an offensive rebound. He tripping. Let me get to the corner. Nobody has said anything.
“So I’m like, ‘All right, bet.’ Yo, Bron. Yo, it looked like they were trying to deny Bron. So I’m dribbling it out to get the ball to Bron. Like, ‘Bro, if I shoot this s— they’re going to be mad as f–k, you shoot this s— they’re going to be like, well, we’re going to live and die with that.
“For me, I’m just like, the whole time I’m like, man, listen, let me get this s— out of here. Get the big fella. He’s going to do what he has to do. Worst comes to worst, we’ve got a timeout.”
“No, I’m not going to call a timeout cause then if I call a timeout, they’re going to be like, ‘man, you wasted our timeout.’ Like, bro, come on, man. Don’t do that. Don’t do me like that, bro.”
“Oh, he was hot. He was hot. He was legitimately confused cause he didn’t understand what was happening right now? And I looked at I’m literally looking at him…. like, ‘Bro, this is your job. You have to like that’s why you don’t get the big bucks. They don’t pay me enough for this s–t, right?” Smith added on LeBron’s reaction to the incident, which he reveals lingers even to this day in a way.
“We never talked about that. He’s still mad. He is still mad. Oh, he’s so mad, still mad,” Smith said in conclusion.
James finished that night with 51 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists while shooting 59.4% from the field, and it was still not enough as the Warriors eventually won 124-114 in Game 1.
The NBA superstar was only 33 years old at the time and playing in the prime of his career. LeBron James ended that series averaging 34.0 points, 10.0 assists, and 8.5 rebounds while going 52.7% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
He nearly averaged a triple-double to carry the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. But to this day, it might still be eating him up that some unforced errors could have gone his way.
James described it as one of the “most heartbreaking losses” in his NBA career after that game, and said, “I don’t know what J.R. was thinking,” during the postgame press conference back in 2018.
Any player is bound to be heartbroken when such unforced mistakes cost you your prime. Nearly a decade later, if the two have still not spoken about the incident, these comments could finally reveal to James what Smith was thinking and maybe help the two former teammates find closure on the incident personally.
