J.R. Smith did his part in Game 5 to keep the Cavaliers alive. Unfortunately for the Cavs, it wasn’t enough, but it was everything we could have wanted from Smith.
J.R. Smith was everything we ever wanted in Game 5
The Cavs didn’t get the win, but Smith did his part.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
In the second quarter, when the Warriors did the bulk of their damage, Smith poured in eight points on 3-of-3 shooting, hitting two three-pointers. By the third quarter, Smith had another pair of three-pointers to help the Cavaliers edge the Warriors in the quarter, 33-27.
This shot came in the final 18 seconds of the quarter, and cut the Warriors’ lead down to five.
The fun part about Smith’s shots on Tuesday night: Most of them were those shots you hate when any player other than a superstar takes them. When he takes them, well, it’s what J.R. does.
He started off 5 of 5 from three-point range in the game, which tied Mike Miller and Danny Green for the most three-pointers made by an individual player in a Finals game without missing.
He then made a sixth, and did it in the only way that J.R. could:
He made a seventh when the game was already in hand for the Warriors, giving him a total of 25 points on the night. He finished 7 of 8 from deep on the night.
Smith’s contributions were big for the Cavaliers in last year’s Finals, too. In their four wins, Smith scored 20, 10, 14, and 12 points. The totals weren’t impressively high, but the way Kyrie Irving and LeBron James played in those wins, they didn’t have to be.
When Smith puts in a 25-point performance like he did in Game 5 against a superteam like the Warriors, it’s a huge help. Perhaps if the Cavaliers had gotten similar production in earlier games, the series would have been closer.
It is easy to joke about Smith, because he’s a fun character who occasionally makes head-scratching plays, but he’s a serious weapon, too. He proved that in Game 5.
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