'He thought we were up one' — Cavaliers disagree on JR Smith's late blunder

OAKLAND - With Game 1 of the NBA Finals tied 107-107 with 4.7 seconds to go, Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith grabbed an offensive rebound off of George Hill's missed free throw, dribbled the ball past the 3-point arc, seemingly unaware of the clock running down, and made a last-second pass to Hill, effectively ending the quarter.

After Smith's gaffe, the Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 17-7 in the overtime period, sealing a 124-114 win.

After the game, Smith maintained he believed his team was going to call a timeout, while his coach, Tyronn Lue, believed Smith thought the Cavaliers were up one point and was trying to dribble out the clock.

“I knew it was tied,” said Smith, who finished with 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting. “I thought we were going to take a timeout because I got the rebound. I'm pretty sure everybody didn't think I was going to shoot it over KD right there.”

However, Lue saw the play differently.

“He thought it was over,” Lue said. “He thought we were up one (point).”

A few minutes after Lue explained his version of the events, Smith disagreed.

“George (Hill) shot the free throw. I got the rebound. Tie ballgame, and we had a timeout,” Smith said. “I tried to get enough space because Kevin (Durant) was standing right there. I tried to bring it out and get enough space to maybe get a shot off. I looked over at LeBron (James) and he looked like he was trying to get a timeout. So I stopped, and the game was over.”

While Lue and Smith disagreed on what transpired in the waning moments of Thursday's game, Warriors forward Draymond Green shared his own version of what happened.

“I thought he was looking for LeBron,” Green said. “I would have looked for LeBron, too.”

Throughout his career, Smith has displayed the ability to make highlight-reel plays while being prone to head-scratching mistakes. As a member of the Denver Nuggets, Smith once scored 43 points off the bench, including 30 in the second half. However, last season, Smith walked off the court to greet Milwaukee Bucks guard Jason Terry as play went on, giving up a wide-open layup in the process. Despite his hiccups, Smith has become a vital piece for the Cavaliers during their run of four straight NBA Finals, including a championship over the Warriors in 2016.

After the game, LeBron James seemed to be looking ahead rather than dwell on the Smith's contribution to the loss.

“We got to move on,” James said. “This game is over and done with. We had opportunities. I would never give up on J.R. That's not my M.O. I don't give up on any of my players, any of my teammates, so I don't think that even needs to be said.”

James abruptly ended his news conference after persistent questioning by ESPN's Mark Schwarz regarding Smith's play.