OAKLAND, Calif. _ Two days after claiming he knew the score was tied when he dribbled out the clock at the end of regulation in what became an overtime loss in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, J.R. Smith recalibrated. Coach Tyronn Lue had said Smith thought the Cavs were ahead when he grabbed an offensive rebound, and video captured him telling teammate LeBron James he thought they were ahead, and he had been roasted on social media.
So, when Smith was asked again at Saturday's media session prior to Game 2 Sunday at Oracle Arena if he still was sure the game was tied, he diverted from his postgame script. "After thinking about it a lot the last 24 hours or however many since the game was over, I can't say I was sure of anything at that point," Smith said. "So no."
Asked about the video of his conversation with James after the buzzer in regulation, Smith said, "The video where I said I thought we were ahead? I might have said that. I'm not sure, but I might have."
Smith has been down this road before in other situations where he appeared to lose track of events on the court. In a 2014 regular-season game with the Knicks, he admitted he jacked up an ill-advised shot with about 20 seconds remaining in a tie game because he thought the Knicks were behind. They lost to the Rockets.
But messing up in an NBA Finals opener the Cavs had a chance to win on the road was a much bigger deal. "I told somebody right after the game I'm glad it happened to me as opposed to anyone else on my team," Smith said. "To be in that situation is tough. It's not a situation everybody can handle, so I'm glad it happened to me.
"I've always been the one guy who is the butt of jokes; the one guy who does something crazy. Then I just come back and be myself and play the next day. I don't really dwell on things too much. It's been like that my whole life, and that's the way it looks like it's going to continue to be."
That's one way to look at it _ that he's used to cleaning up the messes he makes. In truth, his teammates view the situation much the same way.
James himself said, "I think J.R. is one of the most resilient guys I've ever been around. ... He probably took the loss as hard as anybody on the team. But one thing about J.R., he has an uncanny ability to bounce back.
"I don't think I need to say anything to J.R. I've known J.R. since he was in high school. J.R. knows what I expect out of him. He expects things out of me. We just try to get it done."
There will be plenty of pressure on Smith to atone for his mistake in Game 2, but he said there's always pressure on the Cavs' supporting cast, describing it as a "blessing and a curse" to play with the best player in the world.
Speaking of James, Smith said, "If you don't help that person win, they're looking at you, too. So, it's a lot of pressure. But I tell him he has the opportunity to play with me as well."
Talk about a blessing and a curse.
