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J.R. Smith dismisses criticism of shooting contested shots

Jason Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With the exception of the Splash Brothers, there's probably no shooter in the league who has as much confidence in his shot as J.R. Smith.

The notorious gunner leads all players in the playoffs in 3-pointers made per game and is knocking down an absurd 52.8 percent of his shots from distance.

In classic J.R. fashion, nearly half of his threes have come with a defender guarding him closely in the postseason. Not that he minds - Smith jacked up heat check after heat check but still drilled seven in Game 2.

Smith understands that he's taking what would be considered difficult shots for anyone else. But that's his game.

"Guys are always looking at me like: 'What are you doing? What are you doing?' This is my shot," said Smith, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "Regardless of how funny it may look to you, I feel as if I can make it when I get that opportunity."

One such player who scoffed at Smith was LeBron James, who couldn't resist a chuckle when asked about his teammate. He eventually gathered himself to offer that Smith is, "the only one of the team who has the ultragreen light."

Smith has even admitted in the past that he prefers contested shots, even though he has consistently shot more accurately when left open by the defense.

"I'd rather take a contested shot than an open shot any day," Smith said during last year's playoff run. "It's kind of boring when you take open shots."

Like any shooter, it's all in good fun when Smith is hitting his shots. But he was red-hot through the first three rounds last season as well, before cooling off significantly in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors. He shot 31.2 percent when the Cavaliers needed him most.

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