J.R. Smith on improved defense, MVP picks, and tattoos
CLEVELAND - About 15 hours after J.R. Smith - who one reporter deemed "Jump-shot Jesus" during Game 3's postgame media conference - made headlines for his surprising defense, the veteran sharpshooter stood on Quicken Loans Arena court fielding questions about his improved D, the perception of him as a player, his MVP picks, and his colorful tattoos.
Here are some post-practice thoughts from "Swish," himself:
On the flow he was in Wednesday, when Smith scored 20 points and knocked down five 3-pointers:
"I think the flow that I got into was because of my defense. Getting stops, getting hands on loose balls, getting steals, and then running in transition, the team was finding me. LeBron (James) playing the way he plays, it's easier for me to get shots. They have to leave somebody, and fortunately enough for me, it's me. I just have to make those shots."
On how his defense, not his scoring, fuels him:
"Getting deflections and getting steals, it just motivates me. I get more hyped running up and down the court, I run faster, penetrate more, do whatever it takes."
Related: How Smith and the Cavs are slowing down the Splash Bros.
On what a player can do to become a better defender over the course of his career:
"Watch film. I think film has a lot to do with it. You get to know players' tendencies a lot more. You understand what spots you need to be in as opposed to being in the wrong spot. You can shade guys one way when you know they like to go (the other way). Klay (Thompson) likes to come up the floor so we try to shade him baseline as much as we can."
On whether his improved defense coincides with watching more film himself:
"Last couple years, yeah. As I get older, my athletic ability starts to decrease so I've got to smarten up a little bit."
Why he's perceived as a shoot-first guard:
"I've been in situations where all that's wanted from me is my offense. Whether it's coming off the bench in Denver and New York and wanting me to be a scorer, that's what I did. I'm not really sure why that's more highlighted. Maybe because it looks better. Here (in Cleveland), I really don't have to score, so whether I score zero points or 30 points, it really doesn't have that much of an effect on our game. But if I get two or three stops as opposed to six or seven stops, it makes a big difference."
Who he would vote MVP as part of Players Awards:
"Other than LeBron, I don't really know who else to vote for. Somebody who does everything for a team, whether it's scoring, getting stops, rebounds, steals, blocks. I mean there's not more of a complete player, so I don't see how he can't be the most valuable.
"If I couldn't vote for somebody on my own team, I'd probably vote for a guy like (Russell Westbrook). His energy, effort, consistency - he's got the total package." (Smith did add, when asked about reigning MVP Stephen Curry, that Steph would definitely be in his top-5).
On the number of tattoos he has:
"I count my tattoos as three, because they're all connected. From the waist up, it's connected. My left leg and my right leg is connected, so that's two and three."