J.R. Smith’s wrong-way dribbling run came too late for “Saturday Night Live’s” wry depiction of LeBron James’ Cleveland teammates. That’s too bad. Smith’s misadventures in the last 4.7 seconds of regulation in Thursday’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals would have fit perfectly into that sketch.
It must be said that Smith’s blunder almost completely overshadowed the mistakes of Golden State’s Kevin Durant, who allowed Smith to grab the offensive rebound, and Cleveland’s George Hill, who could have given the Cavaliers the lead by making his second free throw (after hitting the first attempt). They deserve as much criticism as Smith does. As it is, the former Jazz guard’s miss is barely remembered, because of what happened afterward in the Warriors’ eventual 124-114 overtime victory.
NBA FINALS<br>CAVALIERS AT WARRIORS, GAME 2<br>When • Sunday, 6 p.m.<br>TV • ABC
Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue believes Smith thought the Cavs were ahead; Smith contended he knew the score, but figured someone would call a timeout. What ensued was a comical sequence of Smith dribbling toward the scorers table at mid-court, then passing the ball too late for a teammate to do anything as James looked at him with his palms turned upward in the classic gesture that said, “What were you thinking?”
Like a lot of infamous plays in Cleveland sports history, that one began with good intentions. It is remarkable that Smith was able to rebound a missed free throw. If nothing else, he kept Golden State from having an opportunity to win in regulation.
The Cavs’ best chance to win was gone, though. Did anyone really believe Cleveland would win in overtime?
Of course not. Golden State pulled away, and the Cavs missed what may be remembered as their best chance to win a game in the Finals. The other perspective is that Cleveland came closer to winning in Oakland than anyone imagined, and that may signal a competitive series.
What’s clear is that Game 1 played along with every derisive view of James’ teammates, as LeBron scored 51 points in a losing effort. As I noted this week, “Saturday Night Live” recently made fun of The Other Cavaliers, joking about how they provide support to James — except for actual basketball contributions. That was only a slight exaggeration in Game 1.
Kevin Love scored 20 points, but he and the rest of The Other Cavaliers combined for 7-of-30 shooting from 3-point range. As for the ex-Jazzmen, Hill and Kyle Korver combined to make three 3-pointers, while Rodney Hood stayed on the bench. In a sign of how far Hood has fallen, Jordan Clarkson went 2 of 9 from the field as his replacement.