ATLANTA — After the Cleveland Cavaliers obtained J. R. Smith from the Knicks in a three-team trade in early January, Smith, a gifted but capricious guard, accompanied his new coach, David Blatt, to dinner.
By dessert, Blatt had warmed to his new player with a mixed reputation.
“I knew we had a good kid,” Blatt said 90 minutes before the Eastern Conference finals began on Wednesday. “He’s been a great teammate and a great guy to coach. No question he’s one of the reasons we’re here.”
He ended up a primary reason the Cavaliers jumped ahead in the series, too, with a 97-89 win over the Atlanta Hawks.