Imagine J.R. Smith’s surprise when he woke up Friday morning to find he had been elected governor of the mythical kingdom of Golden State.
Until Thursday night Smith was part of the nameless, faceless, silent majority on a Cleveland Cavaliers roster owned and operated by LeBron James. Safe to say that Smith made a name for himself in 4.7 tidy seconds at the end of the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
With the Cavaliers tied with the Warriors, Smith’s teammate George Hill clanked the second of two free throws. Smith gobbled up the rebound and, with precious seconds ticking away, high-tailed it for center court.