Hot-shooting Smith likes contested shots; Cavs winning gamble they took on him
On a good team when the shots are going down, J.R. Smith can be a breath of fresh air. After setting a Cleveland Cavaliers franchise record with eight treys in a Game 1 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, times are good again.
But similar to what DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors said earlier this year, Smith told reporters on Thursday that he prefers a hand in his face as opposed to an open look.
J.R. Smith: "I'd rather take a contested shot than an open shot any day ... It's kind of boring when you take open shots"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 21, 2015
Just about everything about Smith is not boring - including how the Cavaliers acquired the shooting guard from the New York Knicks in early January. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Cavs had to think long and hard about bringing the controversial character aboard.
They knew Smith was a necessary inclusion in order to land the perimeter defender they wanted, Iman Shumpert, but Windhorst reports it took the unusual step of general manager David Griffin speaking to Smith while he was still a member of the Knicks.
In any other situation, the NBA views this as tampering, but the Knicks authorized it because they were desperate to get rid of the 29-year-old swingman. Griffin reportedly warned Smith that antics such as his 2013 drug suspension and assorted social media adventures would not be tolerated.
LeBron James, on the other hand, did not care about the off-court stuff. He needed a perimeter threat.
"Get him here and I'll take care of it," James told Windhorst on Wednesday, recalling the situation.
Since becoming a Cav, Smith's shooting percentages are up across the board, as is his player efficiency rating. Smith - who once organized a 2 a.m. bike ride through Manhattan with random people he met through Twitter - has said he's now more focused because there's little do in Cleveland except play ball.
Smith also said he's mostly happy the negative stuff is behind him for his mother's sake, telling Windhorst:
It's a great situation for me. It's more for my mom ... when all those negative things are being said and stuff like that, me personally I don't care. But to see her hurting, to see her go through those situations, to feel the way she feels, it's a terrible feeling for me.
It's worth noting that Smith is still the same player who once jacked up 22 3-point attempts in a loss.
"My motto is, 'When in doubt, shoot the ball,'" he said during his first day in Cleveland.
For now, however, the shots are falling and the winning is helping.