One Cleveland Cavaliers fan was ready for his moment on Friday when he was given a shot at $10,000.
The fan, wearing a backwards cap and keeping a rally towel in his back pocket, was one of five contestants to get the chance to win money during the second-quarter promo in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup. He was the first one up and drained it like he was shooting warmup shots in an empty Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
The crowd erupted as the fan calmly kept his goose neck up before getting down on his knees for the signature J.R. Smith three-pointer celebration.
A Cavaliers fan hits the halfcourt shot to win $10K, and then he does the J.R. Smith celebration (with a replay).
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 15, 2026
With a replay.
The other 4 contestants fail to make the halfcourt shot pic.twitter.com/x6eX9EBQgu
With the opening act also becoming the headliner, the next four contestants all missed their shots at $10,000.
The fan was arguably the only Cavaliers supporter to go home happy. Cleveland was favored to close out its series against the Detroit Pistons in Game 6, but the Cavaliers let that chance slip away in a 115-94 blowout in front of their home fans.
The Pistons shot a much better percentage from distance (44%) than the Cavaliers (34%), which was part of why Detroit came away victorious. Perhaps Cleveland could give J.R. Smith or his backwards cap imitator a call for Game 7.
