J.R. Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers must be stewing right now, wallowing in utter disbelief of the mistake heard 'round the world.
Smith allegedly forgot the score of the game when he made an offensive rebound in the fourth quarter with the game tied, and could have possibly shot the ball or called timeout to set up a chance for the Cavaliers to beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
But that didn't happen. The game went to overtime, and the Warriors blitzed the Cavaliers for a 124-114 win.
Twitter almost caught fire Thursday night with all the reactions from fans and players. But an NBA legend chimed in the day after.
That legend was Kobe Bryant.
💩 play. Flush it. Move on #nbafinals2018
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) June 1, 2018
Bryant played 20 years in the NBA and won five championships. In light of that, he's seen a thing or two during his two decades in the NBA.
The point Bryant is making is quite clear. Things happen on the court. People make mistakes. It's probably not worth dwelling on it for too long.
That's what Smith has to do, and what Bryant is effectively telling not only Smith, but the entire Cavaliers team, to do. The Cavaliers want to win a championship, and one play in the first game of the Finals will not determine that.
Was it a difficult play to swallow? Yes. Will it be a story for this entire Finals? Yes.
But the way Smith and the Cavaliers can change the narrative is if they come out Sunday night and win a game. Then, Smith's lack of judgement will be but a footnote in this year's Finals story.
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