--- title: LeBron James Reacts to J.R. Smith's NBA Finals Mistake description: After a performance for the ages in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, LeBron watched on as J.R. Smith wasted the final seconds of regulation. canonical: https://time.com/5298467/lebron-james-jr-smith-nba-finals-mistake/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-01T15:13:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:53:11.923Z og:title: LeBron's Reaction to J.R. Smith's NBA Finals Error Is Epic og:description: The Cavs star was not happy and people can't get enough of it og:url: https://time.com/5298467/lebron-james-jr-smith-nba-finals-mistake/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f3172ebb67a2333/6989321a096a94d63e6a2992/lebron-james-jr-smith.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: LeBron-James-2018-NBA-Eastern-Conference-Finals og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: LeBron's Reaction to J.R. Smith's NBA Finals Error Is Epic twitter:description: The Cavs star was not happy and people can't get enough of it twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f3172ebb67a2333/6989321a096a94d63e6a2992/lebron-james-jr-smith.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Everyone Wins Thanks to LeBron James's Game-Changing Reaction to J.R. Smith's NBA Finals Mistake  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jun 1, 2018 3:13 PM UTC  LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during Game 7 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on May 27, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during Game 7 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on May 27, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.Maddie Meyer—Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jun 1, 2018 3:13 PM UTC The basketball world was shook to its core Thursday night thanks to Game 1 of the[ 2018 NBA Finals](http://time.com/money/5297240/these-are-the-richest-investors-playing-in-the-2018-nba-finals/). But judging by his facial expressions, there was no one more thrown by the game’s rollercoaster ending than [LeBron James](http://time.com/5140127/nba-trade-deadline-lebron-james-memes/) himself. After putting on a performance for the ages in the [Cleveland Cavaliers](http://time.com/5023849/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-arthur-memes/) first post-season outing against the Golden State Warriors, LeBron watched on in horror as J.R. Smith squandered the final seconds of regulation by taking an offensive rebound out past the 3-point line without calling time. The tied game was sent into overtime and the Cavs went on to lose 114-124. But LeBron’s torment didn’t stop there. As is nearly always the case with devastating sports twists, the Internet couldn’t resist making a meme out of the moment. After a photo emerged of James throwing his arms up in disbelief at Smith’s mistake, Twitter was quick to take advantage of the opportunity to crack some jokes. > [](https://twitter.com/MikeABCColumbia/status/1002392277740871681) See some of the best reactions below. > [](https://twitter.com/David%5FC%5FSteele/status/1002396916754329600) > [](https://twitter.com/jordanlange25/status/1002399120559169536) > [](https://twitter.com/virgiltexas/status/1002397104235601926) > [](https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1002405485411229696) > [](https://twitter.com/Phil%5FLewis%5F/status/1002393571876589568) > [](https://twitter.com/HerbScribner/status/1002401713079267328) > [](https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1002392442690310144) > [](https://twitter.com/travishelwig/status/1002397645455814656) > [](https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/status/1002398784394088449) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5298467/lebron-james-jr-smith-nba-finals-mistake/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5298467/lebron-james-jr-smith-nba-finals-mistake/"},"headline":"Everyone Wins Thanks to LeBron James's Game-Changing Reaction to J.R. 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