Game 2 is already complete, of course, and the Cavs are now down 2-0 and have a very slim chance of even sending the Finals to six games, much less winning.
But since last night’s Warriors blowout win was fairly expected, let’s take a look instead at some newfound footage from Game 1, showing LeBron’s reactions in the immediate aftermath of the JR Smith/George Hill debacle at the end of regulation. LeBron was not happy, as you might expect, but it was more about finding out the Cavs actually had a timeout remaining than it was at JR directly. (Though there’s some of that, too.)
Via Ballislife, which originally posted some of the video:
This is heartbreaking! Long uncut footage of LeBron, JR Smith & George Hill after Smith's mistake in Game 1. pic.twitter.com/MplQoAkk0a
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 4, 2018
And there’s the full YouTube clip, which might very well get taken down at some point:
Yeah, he’s definitely not staying in Cleveland, is he?
That’s a tough stretch of video to watch, especially as LeBron just sits and refuses to talk to Smith or Hill for the few minutes at the start, although that’s not unexpected, all things considered. But that series of plays is likely going to be all anyone remembers from this Finals, unless LeBron can will his team to victory at least once in Cleveland. It’s definitely not impossible, but at this point, it’s hard to bet on that happening.
Here’s a dumb or not so dumb observation. When you look at the interplay between J.R. and LeBon while sitting on the bench there was a brief moment where it looked like J.R. had received some benefit from that moment to take them into overtime. And LeBron had been stepped on pretty hard. The Vegas odds on Cleveland were 30 to 1 to win the Finals. 30 to 1 odds is a lot of money to pay out. Some people would put their money on LeBron. Maybe Vegas could not cover it. It is within Vegas’s interest to try to pay someone off to effect the outcome of the game. If they get caught, it just becomes the “cost of doing business.” But would not have to payout the 30 to 1. A fine would be a lesser amount. J.R. might have taken a payoff to throw the game. Please, please don’t pretend like these things don’t happen, because they do. The NCAA has had its share of difficulties with players taking bribes to throw a game. I’m not saying that this is what happened, but something looked odd and it is just an observation.