On the fourth episode of his ‘Mind the Game' podcast with JJ Redick, LeBron James reminisced about the most famous play of his long and storied NBA career, his late chasedown block of Andre Iguodala during the Cleveland Cavaliers' Game 7 victory over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals. And during the conversation, he explained that a key part of the block is JR Smith's involvement.
Smith, the lone player defending a two-on-one against Stephen Curry and Iguodala in that moment, made Iguodala adjust his layup, allowing James enough time to block the shot and keep the game tied at 89 apiece with under two minutes remaining.
“When I’m running, all I'm telling myself is like, ‘Swish (JR Smith), do not foul him,'” James said. “So, you can ask any of my teammates throughout the course of my career or throughout the course of that season, anytime that you see me trailing the play, all I need is a little adjustment from the offensive player and I promise you, I'll track it down. Do not f—n foul. Do not f—n foul. I told the guys all year, ‘If you see me hauling a–, just make him — instead of just going in for a layup, make him change it a little bit.'
“And Swish gets a lot of s–t today because of the blunder he had the following year, or two years later, or whatever the f–k it was, of not understanding the time and score or whatever the case may be. He executed that s–t to perfection. He made Iggy change his shot just a little bit, and that's all I asked.”
JR Smith and his unfortunate ‘blunder' in 2018 NBA Finals
LeBron James and JR Smith played parts of five seasons as teammates. They first paired up in Cleveland during the 2014-15 season, James' first back in Cleveland after a four-year stint with the Miami Heat. Smith was traded midseason from the New York Knicks to the Cavaliers as a ‘throw-in' in an acquisition that also included Iman Shumpert's arrival in Cleveland.
Smith played an important role for the Cavaliers, serving as the starting shooting guard next to Kyrie Irving and being relied on as a tough shotmaker. And while his strong play will be fondly remembered by many fans, the most memorable moment of his career is an unfortunate one.
With 4.7 seconds remaining in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, George Hill made the first of two free throws to tie the game at 107 each. Hill left the second foul short, however, and Smith snagged the ball out of the air. Instead of putting a last-second and potentially game-winning shot up, Smith, unaware of the score, quickly dribbled to near half-court. With under a second to go, Smith fired the ball to Hill, who could not get off a shot before time expired. The Cavaliers ultimately lost the game in overtime 124-114 despite James scoring 51 points.
Smith's error, as well as James' on-court reaction, will likely be remembered forever by NBA fans, although both ended up winning another championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
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