![]() “He’s an extremely mentally tough person,” Brickley said. … Some days, you can tell when he’s out there that that’s his getaway. This has been the most that I’ve witnessed him work on his game. “We’ve worked out at 7 in the morning this summer, 8 in the morning this summer. “This has been by far the most he’s been in the gym,” says Brickley, who has known Smith for 10 years. The type of move that has made Smith one of the NBA’s premier bad-shot makers and No. The next move is a blur of ball and body, too quick to record with the naked eye. Catch, dribble-dribble into a step back, money. Smith catches a pass from Brickley, rises and sinks the 3. Behind that arc is where the 6-foot-6 Smith is working on a July afternoon, the only player in the gym, supervised by his longtime friend and trainer, Chris Brickley. A two-story glass wall is built for gawking. The court at the luxe Life Time Athletic at Sky club in midtown Manhattan is the place that hosted superstar open runs with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. The aftermath of Game 1 hasn’t been that hard, really. “I mean, I can’t just point at one thing to be mad at.” “I’ve messed up so many times in my life,” says Smith, 33. Smith’s 14-year NBA career has been filled with mistakes, so many that forgetting the score at the end of Game 1 in the 2018 Finals just seemed like J.R. Then he would make the 60-mile drive to a basketball court in New York City, where he drowned his sorrows in sweat and jump shots. In Millstone Township, Smith did what married fathers do: made breakfast for his girls, shopped at Walmart, played golf, took his eldest daughter to soccer practice. And he returned here this past summer after making one of the most colossal mistakes in NBA history. He lives here now with his wife and their three daughters. Smith grew up here with his parents and three siblings. The streets that made the man are wide and smooth, flanked by lush woods, cornfields, spacious lawns and wooden two-beam horse fences. JR and Iman are both NBA champions thanks to King James and he certainly thinks they deserve it.MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP, N.J. A prime LeBron James was able to carry a team with washed players and veterans repeatedly to the NBA Finals. LeBron responded to the tweet in agreement, “ FACTS!! I was so damn EXCITED & HAPPY to get them both!! And Swish was a throw in the deal! That’s what was funny to me.”įACTS!! I was so damn EXCITED & HAPPY to get them both!! And Swish was a throw in the deal! That’s what was funny to me. He was included with Shumpert in a three-team deal sending both of them to the Cavs. Smith was quite the star with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks during his prime. Swish refers to JR Smith who had quite a career himself. Situation, fit, and accountability around you matters.” Swish was written off before he came to the Cavs. “ Never forget how people laughed at the JR Smith and Shump deal. Situation, fit and accountability around you matters.Ī Twitter account, “ 73-9 and THEY LIED” shared an interesting post complimenting both James’ former teammates. Never forget how people laughed at the JR Smith & Shump deal. However, this proved to be completely false as they were able to help King James make the finals for 4 years in a row. Both Iman Shumpert and JR Smith were traded to the Cavs in 2015.Īt the time several NBA analysts considered their value quite low and criticized the move to acquire them. It speaks to his greatness that he carried his team even without Kyrie to the NBA Finals in 2018. ![]() Other than Kyrie Irving, LeBron has struggled to play with or recruit another real superstar talent during his time in Cleveland. LeBron James says he was excited and happy to get JR Smith and Iman Shumpert ![]() It is important to understand the full context of what was said. However, LeBron discussed how both these stars proved everyone wrong after the trade for them went through. He spoke glowingly of Shumpert and Smith. King James drew attention to these former players recently in a response to a Twitter post. He had several role players including Iman Shumpert and JR Smith for several of these NBA finals runs. The King carried the Cavs to the NBA Finals 4 times from 2015-2018. Many new NBA fans are unaware of the years of dominance and excellence displayed by LeBron James during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers. ![]()
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