The 2018 Finals didn’t give us much to remember, but J.R. Smith’s epic blunder in Game 1 is certainly something none of us will ever forget. Instead of taking the shot as the clock was winding down, he let the clock run out — essentially sending the game to overtime where the Warriors would go on to win.
But, according to Skip Bayless, LeBron isn’t blameless for that loss. After all, he was the one who passed up one of the last shots to George Hill.
Looks like the "GOAT" is about to add his favorite scapegoat, J.R. Smith. Be careful, J.R.: If this sprint to the finish goes wrong, LeBron will point the finger at … YOU. Yet HE was the one who passed up a last shot over little Steph to pass to George Hill, then quit in OT.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 29, 2020
The incident in question happened on the possession right before J.R.’s mistake. Instead of finding a shot himself, he tried to throw the ball inside to George Hill which then resulted in a turnover.
So, Skip isn’t exactly wrong. LeBron did screw up there and it’s fair to say that mistake is part of the reason why they lost.
With the news that J.R. is headed to Los Angeles, many memes and jokes have come out about his epic and costly mistake, but (to J.R.’s credit) it was Bron who screwed up too. Hopefully, with the Lakers, they can work to make up for the unfortunate situation.
