Photo by Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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"Cleveland is just like Millstone," said Earl Smith, J.R.'s father. "It's no different. It's like where he grew up at." This is not strictly true—Millstone has 10,000 residents, 90 percent of which are white—but Smith has nevertheless made himself at home in Cleveland. In so doing, he's resurrected a career that foundered in New York after a promising start that included a Sixth Man of the Year award two seasons ago, when the Knicks won 54 games and a playoff series for the first time since 2000. Smith has since admitted he became distracted by big-city diversions and tired of the losing. When he was traded before the team's January 5 game against Memphis, the Knicks were 5-31.In Cleveland, Smith has reunited with LeBron James, a friend since high school. As teenagers, Smith and James attended the 2002 ABCD camp at New Jersey's Fairleigh Dickinson University together. Smith also played as a kid against teammate Kendrick Perkins. He's developed a strong bond with others on the Cavaliers, too, something that Earl Smith said was missing with the Knicks.
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