JR Smith's Blunder In Game 1 Of NBA Finals Leaves Fans Stunned
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Game one of the NBA finals saw an elementary mistake by a veteran player.
In the closing seconds of the game, Cleveland's JR Smith apparently forgot the score.
LeBron's face said it all. It was one of the biggest blunders in NBA finals history.
Even though the game was tied, J.R. Smith acted like the Cavs were leading. He dribbled away the final seconds while everyone just stared.
"He thought it was over. He thought we were up one," said Cavs head coach Tyron Lue.
But the score was tied, and the Cavs lost in OT.
JR wasn't without an excuse.
"I thought we were tied and we were going to call for a time out," he said.
Situational awareness is expected for a player in the NBA finals. It's expected for players in elementary school.
"He's just pathetic as a basketball player," said 10-year-old Bayo Maathey.
Smith is from Freehold, N.J. He's played in the NBA for 15 years, including three years with the Knicks. Street ball legend "Future" knows JR and reached out to him last night.
"I told him to keep his head up. You've got more games to go," said Malloy "Future" Neysmith.
"Is it inexcusable for a professional player to not know the score of the game?" Overmyer asked.
"Yeah, he should know the score of the game," Future said. "I don't know where his mind was at."
Last night, the Twitterverse was ruthless.
"MJ had Pippen. Kobe had Shaq. Curry has Durant. LeBron has JR Smith," wrote one Twitter user.
CBS Sports' Twitter account posted numerous tweets about it.
Knicks center Enes Kanter chimed in with a simple "Are you kidding me?"
The game turned into a teachable moment for young basketball players everywhere.
"What did you learn from that game?" Overmyer asked.
"Don't act like JR Smith," said Maathur. "Yeah, don't act like JR Smith."
Unless you want to be known for a championship gaffe.
Smith will get a chance to redeem himself in game 2 on Sunday at Golden State. Cleveland remains a huge underdog.
