Why J.R. Smith Can Be the Difference in Winning an NBA Title

J.R. Smith’s amazing performance in Game 2 on Wednesday night sums up in a nutshell what he brings to the team.

Smith knocked down seven three-pointers, a number of which were contested.

He scored 23 points, making it the 13th time of the 2015-2016 season in which he has scored at least 20 in a game.

The Cavs are 11-2 when Smith scores 20 or more this season.

Cleveland’s Big Three is pretty predictable.

LeBron James delivers his usual 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on a regular basis.

Kyrie Irving is good for about 20 points per game on average, but in the playoffs has been even better, averaging 25.5 points through the first six games.

Kevin Love is not as predictable when it comes to scoring, but at a minimum Cavs fan can expect around 12 points and double-digit rebounds.

Even Tristan Thompson, who Cavs fans can’t expect to get much from in terms of scoring, is virtually guaranteed to provide double-digit rebounds, and four or five of them on the offensive glass.

Off the bench, the Cavs have Matthew Dellavedova, who can dish out four or five assists routinely and run the offense while Irving gets a breather.

Iman Shumpert can provide solid defense.

Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye can each knock down a couple three-pointers to give the second unit a lift.

The only player who is somewhat of a wild card is Smith.

On a typical night, Swish hits two or three triples per game, putting up an average of 12.4 points per game.

When he goes off, the Cavs are practically unbeatable.

In six games in this post-season, Smith is averaging 14.8 points per game, but the diversity of his scoring is striking.

Let’s look at his game logs…

Round 1 vs. Detroit

Game 1: 9 points
Game 2: 21 points
Game 3: 9 points
Game 4: 15 points

Round 2 vs. Atlanta

Game 1: 12 points
Game 2: 23 points

It’s also worth noting that Smith’s defense has been great, as he has contained Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Korver, two of the better shooting guards in the league, through these six games.

But when you look at the games in which Smith had a low-scoring game, it usually makes for a much closer contest.

In the two games where Smith scored nine points, the Cavs won by 5 and 10 points respectively.

When he scored 12, they won by 11 points.

When he scored 15, they won by 2.

But the factor that stands out to me is that in the two games in which Smith scored 20 or more, the Cavs won with ease…

When Smith scored 21, the Cavs won by 17.

When he scored 23, they won by 25 points.

Keep in mind, this is against two of the weaker teams in the playoffs. Atlanta and Detroit were never viewed as contenders.

When the Cavs play tougher opponents in the next two rounds, they’re going to need Smith at his best, to potentially be the difference in a close game.

If Smith can continue to play like he did in Game 2, or at least close to that level, it will be tough for anybody to take down the Cavs.