CLEVELAND -- Before J.R. Smith’s first game with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in January, the 11-year veteran was asked how he planned to play that night without the benefit of any practice time to learn the Cavs’ plays.

“My motto is,” Smith started to say with a smile, "When in doubt, shoot the ball.”

After making that declaration, Smith went 0-for-5 in his Cavs debut (0-for-4 from 3) in a loss to the Houston Rockets and he didn’t do much of anything else, registering one rebound, one block, one steal, three fouls and two turnovers in 18 minutes.

The inauspicious showing turned out to be a totally inaccurate predictor of what was to come. Smith scored 27 points in his second game with Cleveland and didn’t look back from there, finishing with the third most 3-pointers on the team by the end of the season despite playing only 46 games.

The playoffs have started off for Smith much the same way that game against the Rockets went for him. While the Cavs have gone up 2-0 on the Boston Celtics, Smith shot just 6-for-21 from the field (28.6 percent) and 3-for-15 from deep (20 percent).

Not only was Smith’s shot off in Game 1, going 3-for-9, but he also picked up four fouls and saw much of his usual playing time go to Iman Shumpert instead.

He missed even more in Game 2, going 3-for-12, but he earned his keep on the defensive end, swiping five steals. Meanwhile Boston had six steals total as a team. And Shumpert didn’t gobble up any of his playing time, either.

“He played, I believe, 34 minutes,” Cavs coach David Blatt said on Wednesday. “Obviously not because he was making every shot, but because he was so defensively locked in and so active and deflecting the ball and stealing the ball and being engaged in great one-on-one play. That's why he was on the floor.

“He made a few big, big plays,” Blatt continued. “I thought J.R. overall played a very good game [Tuesday] night. I was really happy with what he did.”

Smith wasn’t quite so happy following Game 2, telling reporters: “I shoot better in my sleep.”

When Smith wakes up for Game 3 in Boston on Thursday, Blatt has just one piece of advice he want his starting 2-guard to keep in mind.

“Tell him to keep shooting,” Blatt said. “Take his good looks and tell him to keep shooting, that's just what I've told him.”