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| photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org |
Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals almost turned out to be one for the ages. Until it wasn't, for all the wrong reasons.
One day, it might be eventually noted as another stellar performance by LeBron James. James scored 51 points, pulled down 8 rebounds and dished out 8 assists in what turned out to be a losing effort. It took overtime, but the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-114.
Likely the game will go down for the J.R. Smith rebound and subsequent dribbling out the clock with four seconds left in hopes of a sealing a victory. Except -- as many fans already know -- the score was tied at 107.
WHAT WAS JR THINKING?! pic.twitter.com/3LHkTmXYbv— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 1, 2018
In time, we as fans remember the main blunder -- rightfully so -- that cost the team a game (or at the very least a chance to win the game).
What about the surrounding events, before or after, in which the noted blunder might not have had an effect?
Take, for example, the missed free throw by George Hill that would have given the Cavs a one-point lead with a little over four seconds left. Would Steph Curry or Kevin Durant have hit a big shot in response? Chances are good we would have at least seen a shot by one of these two men. Whereas Hill might have been a hero in a game 1 upset, he is not being looked at as neither a hero nor a goat because of Smith's play.
Free throws played a big part overall in the game, as the Cavs missed six free throws while the Warriors only missed one.
Of course, a big issue is the lack of really anyone else stepping up for the Cavs. James and Kevin Love combined for 72 points for Cleveland, with Smith (10 pts) the only other Cav to reach double figures in points.
Smith, a 13-year veteran, had a mental lapse. He should have known the score, how much time remained, and if the team had any timeouts. Blame can be assigned a lot of places (Jordan Clarkson, Coach Lue failing to call a timeout, etc.) and Smith deserves his share of it. But as most of us who played sports, we know games might come down to one play, but that play isn't the entire reason for success or failure.
Here are five more occasions in which the blunder was remembered, but other situations might have erased it entirely.
Bill Buckner's error
If not for the "Curse of the Bambino" being exorcised in 2004 with a World Series title (and two more titles to boot), the Bill Buckner error for the Boston Red Sox might still be a bigger issue.
Except it can't all be tied to Buckner's error.
The Red Sox stranded 14 runners on base in the infamous game. Twice the Red Sox held leads (3-2, 5-3) in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets. Calvin Schiraldi let those leads go both times, including in the tenth when he got the first two outs.
Schiraldi also gave up a 3-0 lead the Red Sox held in Game 7.
The Buckner error is forever etched into franchise history, but remember there were other factors that might have prevented the game even coming down to that play.
The curse in Chicago
Long before the Chicago Cubs took their name off the list of franchises thirsty for a championship with a 2016 World Series victory, they were stuck in "cursed" land as well.
In 2003, the blame fell on Steve Bartman, the fan who interfered with Moises Alou's attempt to catch a foul ball.
Though he received a lot of the blame over the years, the fact is, other opportunities were missed by the Cubs.
They were five outs away from clinching a World Series berth with a victory in Game 6 of the NLCS against the Florida (now Miami) Marlins. Even after the Bartman incident, the Cubs could have rallied.
Except they completely fell apart. Leading 3-0, the Marlins cut it to 3-1 when shortstop Alex Gonzalez misplayed a ground ball that likely would have led to an inning-ending double play. The Marlins would go on to score 8 runs in total in the 8th inning.
The Cubs were also up 5-3 in Game 7, but went on to lose 9-6.
Bartman was given a World Series ring in 2017, but the legend will likely live on.
Chris Webber's timeout
The 1993 NCAA men's basketball national championship was supposed to be the coronation of Chris Webber and the rest of his Fab Five teammates.
Instead, Webber called a timeout the Michigan Wolverines didn't have. The North Carolina Tar Heels, up 73-71, would end up winning 77-71.
Webber does deserve a fair share of the blame. Other factors play into the final score as well. Michigan held a ten-point lead at one juncture in the first half, but were down 42-36 at the break.
Star Juwan Howard, who averaged 14.6 points per game, was held to seven. Jalen Rose committed six turnovers. And the Wolverines only attempted seven free throws (compared to 23 for North Carolina).
The Mailman
In 1997, the Chicago Bulls were back and better than ever but Game 1 of the NBA Finals appeared to be going the way of the Utah Jazz.
Until Karl Malone missed two free throws with the scored tied at 82 with 9.2 seconds remaining. With it came the legend of Scottie Pippen of the Bulls whispering to Malone before the free throws, "the mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays, Karl."
The Jazz held the lead throughout most of the game despite committing 18 turnovers, seven of which belonged to John Stockton. And by any stretch of the imagination, Malone had put up a standard game with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Michael Jordan dropped 38 points and hit the game-winner in that game and naturally Malone's missed free throws are a focal point. But again, other factors came into play.
*On a side note, it's interesting looking at the box scores of some of these games from the 1990's. The Bulls attempted 15 free throws and the Jazz 11. James Harden sometimes attempts that many by himself in a game.
The Fumble
The Cleveland Browns are likely one of the last franchises who can truly considered themselves cursed. Long before their current run of rotating quarterbacks out of their lineup like a daily change of underwear, the Browns consistently competed for supremacy in the AFC.
The 1987 AFC Championship game, for the second year in a row, pitted the Browns against the Denver Broncos. A year prior, John Elway led the Broncos on "The Drive" to break the hearts of the Browns and their fans.
Down by seven with 1:12 to play, the Browns were eight-yards away from getting within an extra point of a tie score. Earnest Byner had the ball, rumbling towards the end zone, when he was hit from behind and fumbled.
The Broncos recovered the ball, took a safety, and ended up winning 38-33.
Falling behind 21-3 didn't help matters for Cleveland. Bernie Kosar rallied them back to tie the score at 31 but the defense let the Broncos retake the lead.
And Byner that day? Without him, the Browns would have likely not been in the game at all. He had 15 carries for 67 yards and a score while catching 7 passes for 120 yards and one more score.
And there was even a missed block on the Bronco player who caused the fumble.
Blunders and goats are all part of the world of sports. For the future, remember it's likely more than one play that ultimately decided the game. As passionate as sports fans can be, we should also find it in our hearts to forgive (but not forget).
And for fans of the Cavs, that means even if that man is a detested J.R. Smith.
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