King gives ex-Knicks veiled nod
CLEVELAND — LeBron James wasn’t naming names, but he seemed to be referring to J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert when he noted that the Cavs’ championship was vindication for several of his teammates who were discarded by other organizations.
“We’ve got a few guys that have chips on their shoulders,” James said following the Cavs’ 117-88 victory over the Knicks. “There’s a few guys who feel like teams gave up on them in their careers. For them to come here and to prove not only to those people but to prove to themselves that they are championship worthy means a lot to them. It’s great to be around them. We have lot of hungry guys.”
Smith and Shumpert were unceremoniously traded by Phil Jackson on Jan. 5, 2015 in the middle of a Knicks season that resulted in 17 wins. The Knicks got next to nothing in the trade while Smith and Shumpert helped Cleveland to back-to-back Eastern Conference championships and one NBA title.
Smith says there was no added significance to the Knicks being in the building on Tuesday when he received his championship ring.
— Frank Isola