Golf always brings a smile to J.R. Smith's face. (USATSI)
Golf always brings a smile to J.R. Smith's face. (USATSI)

Since Friday, April 10 the Cleveland Cavaliers have played the Boston Celtics twice and both times J.R. Smith has been wearing green.

No, Smith hasn’t switched teams in the final weeks of the season. He was just showing off his fandom for one of golf’s preeminent tournaments, the Masters.

Smith is a huge golf fan and is a strong golfer himself. Bubba Watson even called Smith a “big hitter” after the two played together in Orlando last month.

While Smith is routinely praised in NBA circles for his own golf game, playing with an actual professional golfer of Watson’s stature blew him away. “Just to see the type of game he plays compared to a non-pro like me, was great to see,” recalled Smith. ”Being up close and personal with him gave me a new affection for the game.”

His affection for golf was clear to see after the Cavs lost to the Celtics Sunday afternoon. With the East’s number two seed locked up, the Cavs chose to rest Smith so immediately after the game, he was already dressed in his Masters green and was catching the final rounds of the tournament in the visitors’ locker room.

Smith’s fandom goes beyond his green outfit as he even attended the tournament early last week:

Like a true fanboy, Smith plays as his favorite players Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in video games. But for the Masters, he acknowledged that he was pulling for McIlroy, “I wanted to see him get that Grand Slam but unfortunately it didn’t work out for him,” said Smith when asked who he was rooting for between the two.

Smith holds golfers like McIlroy in such high regard that he considers golf to be one of the hardest sports to play. “It is something that could take you forever to master, “said Smith. “There are a lot of great players of course, but it is impossible to play well every time you play. It is unlike basketball in that way.

“Like if you have an off game shooting, you can do well in another area like defense or rebounding. It is impossible to do that in golf.”

But will Smith’s appreciation for golf carry over to a possible Cavs’ championship?

LeBron James bought all of the players on the Miami Heat WWE-styled championship belts to honor their 2013 championship, would Smith consider getting his teammates green blazers if the Cavs win the 2015 Finals?

“That’s a good idea,” Smith said with a smirk. “If we win, I have to look into that.”