LeBron James most certainly can’t be blamed for J.R. Smith’s blunder in Game 1 in the NBA Finals.
But what can the Cleveland Cavaliers forward be blamed for? ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on Tuesday’s episode of “First Take” that James is responsible for Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors two summers ago.
It’s an interesting take, but Smith has an explanation:
“By (Cleveland) winning (the 2016 NBA Finals), Kevin Durant ends up going (to the Warriors) because we all recognize that if Golden State had won the (2016) 73-9 season, Kevin Durant wouldn’t be in Golden State, and then obviously LeBron and the Cavs could have came back and beat them another year.”
His co-host, Max Kellerman, agreed with Smith, saying Durant and the Warriors had to “get together to overcome LeBron.”
The Warriors have a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Cavs and look to make it 3-0 Wednesday night when the two teams square off for Game 3 at Quicken Loans Arena.
