Tag Archives: JR Smith

Marcus Smart is Already Making Enemies

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Marcus Smart is already in midseason form.

The physical guard is notorious for his brash manner on the court, and Saturday’s preseason game was no different. While most Bostonians were watching the Red Sox game, the Celtics faced the Cavaliers in their final preseason matchup. While the Celtics were outplayed throughout the entire game, one moment stood out in particular: the fight between Marcus Smart and J.R. Smith.

What happened

Early in the contest, Aron Baynes and Smith were locked in a fierce battle underneath the hoop as Terry Rozier dribbled the ball on the perimeter. The contest between the two escalated and ended with Baynes and Smith spinning around with locked arms. Smith shoved Baynes hard in the back towards the hoop. As players came to break them up, Smart charged towards Smith and shoved him in the head. The two nearly came to blows before Ante Zizic came in between the two. Smart had to be quite literally tackled to the floor by both Rozier AND Jayson Tatum.

The Aftermath

Smart was ejected from the game, while Smith received just a technical foul. Had he been able to get away from Tatum and Rozier, he most certainly would have been suspended. It’s possible he faces sitting some games anyway, as he was clearly prepared to throw punches at JR Smith. After the conclusion of the game, Smith had a series of tweets directed towards Smart:

Marcus Smart then told the media his side of the story, saying “it is what it is” and telling Smith, “meet me in the back…You know where I’m at.”

Smith had words to say about that, too. He tweeted about the video, “Meet me on the street damn the back!” He then followed up with a third tweet, saying “better keep this s*** bout basketball”.

Smart has never been afraid to defend his teammates, no matter the opponent. Celtics fans surely love to see his competitive spirit out on the court, though it may sometimes lead to consequences for him.

The Celtics play the Cavs again on November 30th, folks. Mark your calendars for Smart-Smith round 2.

LeBron, Cavs Send Message with 116-86 Pummeling over Celtics

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With their backs against the wall, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers took Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals 116-86. Cleveland dominated from start to finish, led by LeBronā€™s 27 points and 12 assists.

The biggest story in this game was the play from Clevelandā€™s supporting cast. As the saying goes- role players play better at home. George Hill set the tone early, scoring 11 first quarter points on his way to a 13 point, three rebound game. A total of six Cavaliers scored in double figures. Kevin Love produced 13 points and 14 rebounds. Tristan Thompson was also big on the boards, grabbing seven to go along with ten points. J.R. Smith finally got hot, knocking down three of four three pointers. Kyle Korver added 14 points off the bench.

Cleveland knocked down a staggering 17 threes on 50% shooting. It seemed as if nobody on the team could miss. The Cavs dominated on the boards, ripping down 45 rebounds (eight offensive) to Bostonā€™s 34.

Ty Lue mentioned the teamā€™s increased energy and effort, stating, ā€œWe challenged everyone, just to be aggressive and understand the game plan.ā€

Cavs Bring Back Memories of Last Year

Game 3 way eerily reminiscent of last yearā€™s Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics simply had no answer for LeBron and could not withstand the constant barrage of threes. Boston settled for too many tough jumpers, shooting an abysmal 39% from the field and 27% from three. The team made as many three pointers in the game (six) as Cleveland had in the first quarter. Carelessness with the ball led to a lot of easy buckets for the Cavs, as Boston turned the ball over 12 times.

Al Horford was asked about what went wrong postgame and he responded, ā€œI can tell you right now off the top of my head there was a lot of breakdown defensively- itā€™s something we have to address, and be better at on Monday if we want to have any chance of winning.ā€

Al Horford did not attempt a field goal in the first quarter. He finished the game with seven points and seven rebounds. Terry Rozier chipped in 13 on yet another poor shooting game on the road, going 5-12 from the field. There wasn’t a first quarter breakout from Jaylen Brown this time around, as he was nowhere to be seen in this one. Brown didnā€™t register his first point until eight minutes left in the 2nd quarter. He ultimately finished with ten for the game.

Resiliency for Boston’s Youth

The one bright spot for Boston in Game 3 was the effort of Jayson Tatum, who refused to give up early on. When nothing was going for the team, Tatum relentlessly attacked the basket, getting to the free throw line repeatedly. He finished the night with a team-leading 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting.

After the game Brad Stevens said about the Celtics, ā€œThey always respond. This will be another challenge to respond to.ā€

The Road Ahead

Cleveland delivered a momentum-changing punch right to the gut of the Celtics. If they intend to steal a game on the road they will need to punch right back in Game 4. The Celtics will need to bring the energy and physicality for Game 4 and play with a much higher sense of urgency. If anything, this game should serve as a wake up call for the team.

Game 4 is set for Monday night at 8:30 pm on ESPN. LeBron and the Cavs will look to tie this series up, as the Celtics hope to head back home with an opportunity to close it out on their home court.

NBA Will Not Take Disciplinary Action Against J.R. Smith

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The NBA announced recently that Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith will not receive further discipline after shoving Al Horford to the ground during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Play in Question

With just under four minutes to play Al Horford set a pick and rolled for an alley-oop. J.R. Smith gave Horford a shove in the back on the way up, and Al went tumbling to the ground. Smith got issued a Flagrant 1 on the play.

It was blatant that the shove was no accident, and in an aggressive manner. Horford was completely airborne when J.R. made his decision. He thrusted his arms into Alā€™s body, jolting him forward out of control.

After the game, J.R. openly admitted to the shove, stating, ā€œIt was a good call. I blatantly pushed him.ā€

The Fallout with J.R. Smith

What kind of example is the NBA trying to set here? Two of the most dangerous positions a player can get injured in is getting undercut and having their feet taken out (like Gordon Hayward), and being shoved while airborne. Not only did Smith commit a hostile act, but he openly admitted to doing so!

If Horford had gotten injured on the play, one must wonder if the NBA would have decided to take further disciplinary action on the incident. The league must focus on the action that happened, not on the result. It sets a bad public example by letting such a heinous act go without any consequences, even if Horford is fine after the incident.

J.R. Smith is averaging two points on 12% shooting in the Eastern Conference Finals. It will be interesting to see how he performs as the series progresses.

 

Game 3 will take place in Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night at 8:30 pm.