J.R. Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers made a serious mistake shortly before the end of regular time, which cost the Cavs victory in Game 1 of the finals against the Golden State Warrios. According to Coach Ty Lue, the Shooting Guard did not know the score, but Smith denied it.
At 4.6 seconds to go (score: 107:107) Smith took the offensive rebound after a missed free-throw by George Hill. But instead of throwing the ball onto the basket at close range or taking a time-out, the guard dribbled the ball back to the triple line as the clock ran down.
Cleveland didn’t get a good throw any more, Hill only got an emergency throw, it went into the overtime and the Cavs lost.
“I thought we were taking some time off,” Smith tried to defend himself after the game. “I got the rebound and was pretty sure I couldn’t throw over Durant.” However, J.R. denied that he did not know the score. “If I thought we were in front, all I would have done was hold the ball and let them foul me. Obviously it wasn’t like that.”
However, his coach, Ty Lue, told a different version of the story. “He thought it was over,” Lue explained at the press conference. “He thought that we would lead with a point.”