J.R. Smith Talks LeBron's Viral Reaction to Timeout Error in 2018 NBA Finals in Video

Former NBA star J.R. Smith opened up about his infamous timeout gaffe while playing alongside LeBron James for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

During an appearance on It Is What It Is, Smith explained to rappers Cam'ron and Mase that he didn't call a timeout in the closing seconds of regulation because he expected the bench to make the call. His mistake led to a viral reaction from James, who ended up scoring 51 points in a losing effort as the Cavs lost the game in overtime.

"For me, and a lot of hoopers who've been in those situations, if you look at earlier on in the season, whenever we come into those situations where you get an offensive rebound, especially on the free throw line when it's short clock, short time situations, we definitely have a timeout, we normally just call timeout," Smith said. "So, for me, I didn't hear no whistle. ... So I was trying to get it to our best playmaker in the situation, it was Bron, and it just happened like that."

All three of them shared a good laugh after Smith's explanation, especially considering that Cam'ron made a similar mistake when he and Mase were high school basketball teammates. Smith joked that James may have overreacted in the situation, as they had already won an NBA championship in Cleveland in 2016.

"I be like, 'Bron, you still the goat. Bro, we made it. You good,'" Smith said.

While Smith put the moment behind him a while ago, he added that he's sure that James is still peeved by the memory.

"I know son hot, I already know, I know he's still mad at me," Smith said.