Joel Embiid mocks J.R. Smith’s blunder; LeBron James has some words for an ESPN reporter

So much for Bryan Colangelo's Twitter controversy.

For now, all basketball fans want to talk about is the massive blunder by Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith during Game 1 of the NBA finals Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors.

With just seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the game tied, Smith pulled down a key offensive rebound but dribbled the basketball away from the hoop, effectively running out the clock and preventing the Cavaliers from a stunning Game 1 upset.

After the 124-114 overtime loss, Smith claimed to ESPN's Brian Windhorst that he knew the game was tied, but thought the Cavaliers were going to call their final timeout. "If I thought we were ahead, I'd have held onto the ball and let them foul me," Smith said.

However, that's not the story given to reporters by Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue, who said after the game that Smith (who was suspended ahead of a game against the Sixers back in March for throwing soup at an assistant coach) simply thought Cleveland had the lead and was trying to run out the clock.

Regardless, the gaffe opened the floodgates on social media, and the Sixers' resident Twitter expert, Joel Embiid (fresh off playing tennis at a public court in Queen Village), didn't disappoint.

"Shaqtin' a Fool," a roundup of NBA bloopers hosted by TNT Inside the NBA co-host Shaquille O'Neal, awarded Embiid its Midseason Award for Worst Moment of the Season back in February after he missed three dunks and was tagged with a flagrant foul in a 121-110 win against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 3.

"I want to thank Shaq for acknowledging me for missing three dunks in a game as a 6-11 guy," Embiid said in a video accepting the award. "But I just didn't have my legs that day. Next time."

Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long, whose Twitter account at times rivals Embiid's, also watched Smith made the gaffe seen around the world. But uncharacteristically, the Eagles defender appeared at a loss for words.

Overlooked in the Cavaliers' loss was the unbelievable game James had — he paired 51 points with eight rebounds and eight assists. But obviously, the focus from most reporters in the room was on Smith's late-game blunder and the pain of missing out on what would have been a stunning Game 1 upset on such a basic mistake.

But no journalist was more focused on Smith's gaffe than ESPN's Mark Schwarz. The longtime SportsCenter and Outside the Lines reporter repeatedly asked an increasingly frustrated James the same questions about the mishap, causing the NBA superstar to walk out on the postgame press conference.

On his way out of the room, as he walked past Schwarz, James threw out a terse, "Be better tomorrow."

After the game, Warriors power forward Draymond Green told reporters it's good to be lucky sometimes, noting that Smith was open and likely could have hit an easy layup if he were aware of the situation.

"You've got to know the score," Green said.

But it was Green's reaction when finding out that Smith claimed he actually knew the game was tied that caused the entire room full of reporters to burst out in laughter.