J.R. Smith: Everyone Was Playing for 2nd Place When Kevin Durant Signed with Warriors

J.R. Smith knows better than most what it feels like to finish in second place to the Golden State Warriors.

The former NBA guard played for the Cleveland Cavaliers when they reached the NBA Finals in four straight seasons from 2015-18. They played Golden State all four times, and a back-and-forth rivalry seemed to be brewing when they split the first two NBA Finals matchups.

And then Kevin Durant joined the Warriors, and they won the 2017 and 2018 titles by taking home eight of the combined nine games against Cleveland.

"When that happened, everybody was pretty much playing for second," Smith said of Durant's decision during a discussion with Michael Scotto on the HoopsHype podcast. "Don't get me wrong, in the heat of the battle, we're thinking, we have a chance, and we can win, but at the same time, it's like, 'What the hell are we supposed to do?' You've got three Hall of Famers, legit. What are you going to do?"

In reality, the Warriors might have been closer to five Hall of Famers, depending on one's opinion of Andre Iguodala. Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are likely all on their way to Hall of Fame status, and the Warriors had no trouble dispatching those Cavaliers teams, even with LeBron James on the other side.

At least Smith will always have the 2016 celebration when Cleveland shocked the basketball world and defeated the 73-win Warriors.