J.R. Smith is a firm believer that with the good comes the bad, and that there is a downside to playing alongside greatness.
Acquired from the New York Knicks during the 2014-15 season, Smith has enjoyed four straight NBA Finals runs - and his lone championship ring to date - playing alongside LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. But with this success, the 32-year-old shooting guard has also experienced a degree of scrutiny far beyond what he ever experienced in previous stops in New Orleans, Denver, and even the Big Apple.
"It's a lot of pressure. Not for myself or my teammates, but just playing on his team," Smith said about the dynamic of playing with a generational superstar in his Saturday media availability, per ASAP Sports.
"It's almost - it's a blessing - and it's a gift and a curse," he continued. "You play on his team, and you're playing with the best player in the world and you get to witness some great historic things and be a part of it. Then, on the other side, if you don't help that person win, they're looking at you too. So it's a lot of pressure, depending on how you look at it."
Perhaps the pressure of the moment got into Smith's head during his now-infamous possession at the end of regulation in Game 1 which could have given the Cavaliers a chance to win the game had he not wasted precious seconds by dribbling the ball out to the 3-point line after securing a crucial offensive rebound.
Despite letting James down in the midst of a career playoff-best 51-point night, Smith's sense of humor appears to still be intact.
"I tell him all the time," Smith said of James. "He has the opportunity to play with me as well."
