Cavs' J.R. Smith: 'It's kind of boring when you take open shots'
You heard him.
Fresh off an eight three-pointer, 10-16 shooting, 28-point star turn against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, Earl Joseph Smith, the mercurial artist known as J.R., admitted something that watchful eyes have been reasonably discerning his entire career.
He prefers contested shots to wide-open ones.
"I'd rather take a contested shot than an open shot any day," Smith said Thursday, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "It's kind of boring when you take open shots."
Since arriving in Cleveland mid-season, Smith has been relegated largely to the role of roving shooter, in support of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, a duo that carves out plenty of good looks at the rim for the mouths around them. He's taken advantage, but still prefers a heightened degree of difficulty.
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But who knows? There may be some method to his madness. As the ancient proverb goes, ball don't lie.
- Jeremy Woo
