Cleveland: His nickname may be “Swish,” the sound a basketball makes when it hits all net, but Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith has added to his repertoire.
Coach Tyronn Lue and his teammates will call on the veteran to help shut down one of the more dangerous guard tandems in the NBA as the Cavs take on the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference finals.
DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry’s efforts against the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the semifinals elevated the Raptors into the conference finals. They combined for 63 points in that game to lock down the series.
“When I was in Denver, New York, I was never that guy to have to try to guard the Kobes, Tracy McGradys, DeRozans or whatever,” Smith said after Tuesday morning’s shootaround.
“It was more of a scoring opportunity. In this situation, I have those opportunities. I looked at them as a challenge.”
He and Kyrie Irving will both be challenged by the Raptors’ backcourt, especially Lowry, who’s taken a bite out of the Cavs this year, averaging 31 points per game.
“He’s a helluva pick-and-roll player for one — he wasn’t an All-Star for nothing,” Smith said. “What he’s done throughout his career, not even just his last two years, has been very consistent. He’s gotten better every year, he’s always been a great pick-and-roll player since we were in high school.
“The way he’s been shooting the ball as of late hasn’t really been that well. But, I mean, his jumper has improved tremendously over the last couple years. You’ve got to take your hat off to the guy. A hard workin’ kid from Philly gets it done.”
That’s not to take anything away from DeRozan. The series could very well be determined by guard play.
“Well, their backcourt pretty much determines the success they have so fortunately for us — obviously Kyrie plays well — but it doesn’t really matter what I do on the offensive end opposed to DeRozan or Lowry,” Smith said. “So I think they would have an advantage points-wise, but defensively I think we would be better for the most part. But we can throw ’Bron [LeBron James] in the backcourt and throw me at the 3 and see how we match up then I guess.”
Lue knows what the Raptors’ guards are capable of as well.
“I think when you’re dealing with two great players, you have to mix it up,” Lue said. “I don’t think you can show DeRozan and Kyle the same steady diet of what you’re trying to do to them defensively, so we’re going to have to mix it up. We’ll come in with a game plan, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll have to adjust.”
Smith will be a significant part of that equation and Raptors coach Dwane Casey said he’s noticed the difference in the Cavs guard.
“He’s bought in,” he said.
Lowry connection
Lowry and Lue have a relationship going back to Lue’s playing days.
Count the Toronto guard as one who isn’t surprised by the rookie head coach’s success, even though Lue assumed leadership of the Cavs in the middle of the season.
“No, because I have known T-Lue 11 years now. He has prepared for this for so long,” Lowry said. “It is what it is.”
The two shared an agent and, when Lowry was drafted, Lue and fellow pro Chauncey Billups took him under their wings.
“When he first came in, he said that he wanted to be like Tyronn Lue,” the Cavs coach said. “He wanted to compare himself to me. I was like, ‘Well, you can be much better than me.’ I was just a role player.”
So far it’s worked out well for the both of them.
Ky-rispy Kreme shoes
Irving and the minds at Nike unveiled his new shoes recently. No better way to do it than at Fan Fest on Gateway Plaza before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Fans lined up to Huron to be among the first to get Irving’s Ky-rispy Kreme — doughnut-themed — shoes. And what better way to distribute them than out of a Krispy Kreme van and include a sugary baked confection to go with them.
Return engagement
Toronto forward DeMarre Carroll faced the Cavs in the playoffs last year as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. He played injured for much of that Eastern Conference finals series.
“Yeah, I did,” he said. “Last year I was on one leg, so I am feeling a little more comfortable this year. And I know once they get the crowd involved they can get going, so I think we have to stay level-headed, keep competing and we have to go out there and keep doing the things that got us where we are at now rather than shy away from the things we shy away from. And if we do that, man, we can come out with a big win.”
In demand
Prior to joining the Cavs, Lue drew attention from a number of teams, including the Raptors and Casey, the Toronto coach confirmed.
“[Whenever it was], we talked, and he made the decision to come to Cleveland,” Casey said. “It was a good decision.”
Dribbles
• Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Cavs had played 303 fewer minutes and flown 5,603 fewer miles than the Raptors this postseason, according to ESPN Stats.
• Newly crowned UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, a Cleveland native, was brought in to pump up the crowd in the first quarter.
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com.