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J.R. Smith admits blunder, vows tighter focus for NBA Finals

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Jim SLATER, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/06/03/060318_jr.jpg"/><figcaption>JR Smith (5) of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles in the closing seconds of regulation as LeBron James (23) attempts direct the offense against the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on May 31, 2018 in Oakland, California. Ezra Shaw, Getty Images/AFP</figcaption></figure></div>OAKLAND -- Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith confessed to cluelessness Saturday in his botched rebound play in the NBA Finals opener, promising a tighter focus in Sunday&#x27;s crucial second game.Smith squandered a final chance at a regulation-time Cleveland victory in a game Golden State won 124-114 in overtime on Thursday.An exasperated glance at Smith from teammate LeBron James became a social media sensation.Smith rebounded teammate George Hill&#x27;s missed free throw with 4.5 seconds to play in regulation and the score deadlocked at 107-107. He dribbled away from the basket, as if running off the final seconds of what he thought was a victory.In video replays, Smith appeared to tell a stunned James, whose 51 points were the most in NBA Finals history for a losing team, that he thought the Cavs were leading and coach Tyronn Lue said as much after the game.&quot;The video where I said I thought we were ahead? I might have said that,&quot; Smith said. &quot;I&#x27;m not sure, but I might have.&quot;Plenty of things ran though my mind.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/nba/news/2018/06/03/five-things-learned-game-1-2018-nba-finals-42426">READ: Five things we learned from Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals</a></li></ul>Smith said after the game that he knew the game was tied and was trying to move away from Warriors forward Kevin Durant for a better shot, but dribbed well beyond that point and passed off before the final buzzer.&quot;After thinking about it a lot the last 24 hours or however many since the game was over, I can&#x27;t say I was sure of anything at that point,&quot; Smith said.He can be sure, however, that the Cavaliers cannot afford such errors in game two if they hope to send the series back to Cleveland next week level at 1-1.&quot;A few plays happened and we kind of lost our heads at the end, so we&#x27;ve got to stay locked in the whole game,&quot; Smith said. &quot;I&#x27;m ready to go.&quot;The Cavaliers came to Smith&#x27;s emotional rescue.&quot;My teammates have been great,&quot; Smith said. &quot;Everybody says it&#x27;s not just the one play that is the reason why we lost. They&#x27;re very supportive. Got a lot of good feedback.&quot;- Smith is resilient -<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/06/03/060318_lbj.jpg"/><figcaption>Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (right) shoots the basketball next to guard JR Smith (left) during NBA Finals media day at Oracle Arena. Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports/Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>James didn&#x27;t talk with Smith but praised him Saturday and said he&#x27;s confident Smith will bounce back.&quot;I don&#x27;t think I need to say anything to J.R. I&#x27;ve known J.R. since he was in high school. J.R. knows what I expect out of him,&quot; James said. &quot;J.R. is one of the most resilient guys I&#x27;ve ever been around. He probably took that loss as hard as anybody on the team.&quot;But one thing about J.R., he has an uncanny ability to bounce back. People have seen that throughout our post-season runs, where he hasn&#x27;t played well or played to his ability that he thinks he should have played, and then the next game he comes on and shoots the ball extremely well.&quot;Cavaliers forward Kevin Love said resiliency is among Smith&#x27;s strengths.&quot;J.R. is always going to be in a light mood,&quot; Love said. &quot;The best thing he can do is just go out there and be himself. We&#x27;re going to get, I would imagine, a great effort out of him tomorrow.&quot;<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">Sports website.</a>

Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith confessed to cluelessness Saturday in his botched rebound play in the NBA Finals opener, promising a tighter focus in Sunday's crucial second game.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith confessed to cluelessness Saturday in his botched rebound play in the NBA Finals opener, promising a tighter focus in Sunday's crucial second game.

J.R. Smith admits blunder, vows tighter focus for NBA Finals

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J.R. Smith admits blunder, vows tighter focus for NBA Finals

Jim SLATER,

Agence France-Presse

Published Jun 03, 2018 08:54 AM PHT

Read More:

NBA

NBA Finals

Cleveland Cavaliers

J.R. Smith

Golden State Warriors

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