JR Smith missed seven of his nine shot attempts in 31 minutes Sunday night, branding his performance in Game 2 of the NBA Finals as “terrible.”
Cavaliers' J.R. Smith struggles in Game 2 loss after Game 1 blunder. https://t.co/ZybHNt3tGD
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) June 4, 2018
Smith finished with 5 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers fell into an 0-2 series hole in the Golden State Warriors’ 122-103 win.
Dubs fans gave JR a standing ovation when he was introduced, and sarcastically serenaded him with “MVP” chants for his epic Game 1 blunder.
JR Smith on getting MVP chants: “I liked it. I’d rather them do that than not acknowledge me” pic.twitter.com/yjiuv6GBHI
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 4, 2018
Per the AP:
“Terrible,” Smith said of his performance. “I have to shoot the ball better. I have to defend better.”
[LeBron] James and coach Tyronn Lue raved about Smith’s ability to bounce back from tough moments but that didn’t happen Sunday.
“Not too much affects JR. I don’t think so,” Lue said. “He made shots. He had some good looks he didn’t make, but throughout the course of the game I don’t he think he really got shots in a row to kind of get into a rhythm. So that was kind of tough on him. But we have confidence in JR, and he’s just got to continue taking his shots.”
