Cleveland Cavaliers

Derek Fisher is going to bat for his former player J.R. Smith -- telling TMZ Sports the Cavs should NOT quit on the shooting guard after his brain fart during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

There's been a call from fans and NBA experts to bench Smith -- most famously from Stephen A. Smith -- who says J.R. just ain't playing good enough and needs to be benched for the rest of the series.

But Fisher ain't buyin' it ... explaining, "We're really only talking about one play."

D-Fish -- who coached Smith on the Knicks a few years back -- says J.R. played his ass off all year long and has earned his starting spot. Fish says you need to rely on the guys who got you there.

So, what about Smith's unimpressive stat line after Game 2 (5 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists in 31 minutes)??

Fisher says don't be fooled by the numbers, there are other ways for a player to have an impact.

If James Harden was bummed about not being in the NBA Finals ... he ain't showin' it -- 'cause he was TURNING UP with shirtless Travis Scott onstage Saturday night!!

Just five days after being bounced from the playoffs ... the Rockets PG turned to his ex-GF's sister's BF to get away from it all ... and he got away from it.

The Beard joined Kylie Jenner's baby daddy during the last few minutes of his Governors Ball set, rockin' out to "Beibs in the Trap" ... and the crowd loved it -- giving a "F*CK THE WARRIORS" chant afterward.

Remember, Scott's a huge Houston fan ... and was spotted at Harden's games against the Dubs late last month.

Forget the Warriors vs. Cavs debate (sure looks like the Dubs ended that on Sunday night, anyway) -- it's time for the real question ... the LeBron 15s or the Curry 5s?!

The two NBA Finals superstars rocked their signature shoes in Game 2 ... and while Steph Curry got the win in his -- does he beat the King in shoe game as well??

Adam Rippon just signed off on LeBron James' interesting pre-Game 1 attire, saying suit shorts are totally acceptable ... all because the King set the trend.

We got the Olympic figure skater Saturday at LAX and asked what he made of Bron's lack of pants heading into Oracle Arena Thursday ahead of his first game against the Warriors. Faux pas, or fashion genius? Adam seems to think LeBron falls into the latter category.

The Olympian has a perfectly reasonable explanation for why shorts on a suit are a-OK -- especially as we start heading into the summer months here. If anything, LeBron's ahead of the curve ... and or maybe just doing what feels good, we guess? Hard to say.

Either way, Adam's definitely the guy to weigh on such matters ... you might recall his Moschino harness suit to the Oscars this year ... which got a lot of people doing double takes.

So ... yeah, LeBron's in good company. At least Adam's got his back on the Urkel-inspired outfit. BTW ... LeBron is rockin' the suit shorts AGAIN for Game 2. Yep, it a thing now.

LeBron James is the king on the court ... but does he wear the crown off of it??

You be the judge in this look at the best WAGS of the NBA Finals!!

Savannah James always kills it ... but Steph Curry's longtime wifey, Ayesha, and Tristan Thompson's baby mama, Khloe Kardashian, make it interesting.

Don't sleep on Jeff Green's boo, Stephanie, or Shaun Livingston's girl, Joey -- who might not be as famous, but still rocks it in a bikini!!

Jordan Clarkson's a Cleveland guy now ... but the dude just can't shake his old stompin' grounds, 'cause the ex-Laker just dropped $3.2 MILLION on a brand new L.A. home!!

The Cavs baller is currently in the NBA Finals ... but once the offseason hits, he'll be able to enjoy his 5 bedroom, 8 bathroom pad in Woodland Hills listed by Gabriel Ostrow.

Clarkson will have plenty to do ... his home's complete with a chef's kitchen, wine closet, dope home theater, saltwater pool and spa and a BBQ center.

Brian McKnight is reminding the world that J.R. Smith isn't traveling alone on the screw-up train ... telling TMZ Sports George Hill deserves just as much blame for the Cavs' loss.

You already know the play by now ... but McKnight says Hill's missed free throw that led up to J.R.'s brain fart is just as bad ... and says the people are giving him the pass J.R. should've given LeBron.

Earnest Byner knows what it's like to make a major mistake with the game on the line (remember the '87 AFC Championship?) ... so, he's got some advice for J.R. Smith.

Byner is a legend in his own right -- he's a 2-time Pro Bowler and won Super Bowls as a player and a coach.

But back in 1988, he fumbled on the 2-yard line with time winding down costing the Cleveland Browns a shot at the Super Bowl. It's been ranked as one of the biggest in-game mistakes in NFL history.

The good news ... Byner didn't let the play define him and went on to have a great career.

The refs screwed up the Cavs-Warriors game so bad last night, the league should allow the teams to replay the final 60 seconds of the game ... seriously -- according to former NBA ref Tim Donaghy.

Here's the deal ... Donaghy was an NBA official for 13 years before he was sent to prison for gambling on games -- but knows the rulebook inside and out.

In fact, he even cites a REAL situation when the NBA acknowledged it screwed up a ruling -- and had the teams reunite to replay the end of a game nearly 4 months later (Hawks vs. Heat 2007).

In this case, Donaghy is honing in on that late 4th quarter foul involving Kevin Durant and LeBron James -- when two refs disagreed on who was at fault ... was it a charge or a block.

Donaghy says instead of going to the replay monitor and changing the call to favor the Warriors, it should have been ruled a jump ball.

"J.R. Smith ran away from that basket the way Pusha T claims Drake ran away from his responsibilities as a father."

That's why Charlamagne tha God awarded Smith his "Donkey of the Day" title on "The Breakfast Club" Friday morning ... blasting the Cavs player blunder that cost LeBron Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

"I don't know if J.R. Smith uses drugs," Char said ... "but if he does, I think it's his duty as an American citizen to tell us what the hell he's on or has been on so we don't make the same mistakes."

Charlamagne also blasted Smith for his explanation of the blunder ... saying Smith clearly did NOT know the game was tied.

Good signs from Jesse Jackson ... he's not letting his Parkinson's diagnosis stop him from attending massive public events like the NBA Finals!

The Reverend was front and center for Game 1 of the Cavs vs. Warriors series in the Bay Area on Thursday flashing a big old smile.

76-year-old Jackson was diagnosed back in 2017 and said, "recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful."

He also noted that he "must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease's progression."

But, the NBA Finals are clearly the exception!

Charles Oakley says it wasn't just the last play of regulation that J.R. Smith screwed up Thursday night -- he also made a crucial mistake in the 1st half that cost his team 3 points ... and maybe the game.

Oak was pretty upset with Smith's decision to go for a steal instead of playing shutdown defense on Steph Curry in the final seconds of the 1st half.

Smith missed the interception and Steph bombed a 3 ... Oakley says that was a major momentum change.

"Why are you going for a steal on the best shooter in the game?!"

Oakley says he hopes the Cavs can recover and bounce back strong in Game 2.

NFL star Jalen Ramsey basically spoke for everyone Thursday night when J.R. Smith brain-farted at the end of the NBA Finals ... questioning how the hell Smith screwed up so badly!

With the game tied, Smith got a crucial rebound with just seconds left in the game -- and instead of taking a shot or passing it to LeBron -- he tried to run out the clock, forcing the game into OT.

And you know the rest of the story goes ...

Jalen Ramsey was so baffled by J.R.'s move, he went to Instagram and fired off a 50 Cent-style rant.

So, the Golden State Warriors celebrated their Western Conf. Championship Monday night by bumping Usher on the team jet.

Funny, since Usher happens to be a minority owner of the Cleveland Cavs ... and it's almost like Nick Young and company were trying to send a friendly message -- "We're coming!"

While passing around the trophy, Swaggy P took over music duties -- and busted out Usher's greatest slow jams hits ... from "Nice & Slow" to "U Remind Me" and even "Burn."

Most of the players were diggin' it -- singing along and even dancing.

Serge Ibaka has a plan to stop the yearly butt kicking his Toronto Raptors get from the Cavs -- don't worry about LeBron, worry about ourselves.

For the last 3 years straight, Bron's Cavs have bounced the Raptors from the playoffs -- the last 2 years were a clean 4-0 sweep.

So, when we saw Serge at LAX, we asked what he plans to do to stop the LeBron domination.

"It's not about LeBron, it's about us," Ibaka said ... "We have to learn from this playoffs and work hard this summer and get ready."

That said, Ibaka tells us James is nothing short of "amazing" -- and said the 33-year-old legend isn't just an inspiration to future NBA stars ... but to current ones as well.

Roger Goodell is doing a helluva job as NFL commish ... and that's coming from a guy who ran the NBA for 30 years, David Stern.

TMZ Sports saw Stern in NYC ... and with the debate over the NFL's new rule on the National Anthem protest raging ... we asked the former commish how he'd handle the controversy.

Stern didn't exactly answer the question ... but he did offer a ringing endorsement to the NFL's head honcho.

"I think that commisioner Goodell is doing a great job in difficult circumstances."

He went on to say ... "I think every league needs rules to cover every situation. I don't know what rule I would implement, but there should be a rule that treats everyone fairly, and uniformly."

FYI -- the new regulation has been polarizing. Prez Trump and VP Pence applauded the league ... while others have been super critical of Goodell and the NFL.