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No shot, JR: Smith's blunder puts NBA players on tilt

The play was so J.R. Smith... great and, well, not so great. With 4.7 seconds to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at Oracle Arena, with the
Colton Jones|

The play was so J.R. Smith... great and, well, not so great.

With 4.7 seconds to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at Oracle Arena, with the scored tied, George Hill of the Cavaliers missed the second of two free throws.

Smith, who stands 6-foot-6, somehow outrebounded 6-11 Kevin Durant of the Warriors for possession.

In position to perhaps go back up for a shot, or to kick the basketball out to an open teammate -- LeBron James, for example, was standing at the top of the key and calling for the ball -- Smith dribbled toward the sideline.

Spotting James imploring him to do something, Smith got a pass off to Hill in the right corner, whose shot was contested by Draymond Green of Golden State.

First, here's the play:

Now, what was Smith thinking? Replays appear to show him say, "I thought we were up one."

That did not sit well with James, obviously.

After the game, Smith said he knew the game was tied.

However, Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said differently.

And, as expected, the NBA Twitterverse had a field day, led by, who else? Joel Embiid of the 76ers.

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Colton Jones
COLTON JONES

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