J.R. Smith made noise Sunday night, but it sure wasn’t for his performance in the Knicks uninspiring 102-95 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Like many of the Knicks, Smith was frustrated by the Pacers suffocating defense, which allowed the second-fewest points per game and the lowest field goal percentage in the league during the regular season.
Despite finishing with 17 points and five rebounds off the bench, Smith could not seem to get anything going against the Pacers. He was terribly inefficient, shooting just 4-of-15 from the field and was stuck in his one-on-one ways, helping Carmelo Anthony to further stagnate the Knicks offense.
After walking off the court to a flurry of boos at Madison Square Garden, Smith took to Twitter — as he has many times this year — to voice his frustrations and defend himself against his critics (and fans).
Knicks fans were especially disappointed with Smith’s lackluster performance because of a rumor that surfaced early Sunday that divulgedSmith’s Saturday night adventures out at Jay-Z’s club.
But Smith wasn’t done there.
One bad shot tweet wouldn’t be enough for J.R. tonight.
Smith felt the need to agitate an already frustrated Knicks’ fanbase by sending out a “Bandwagon Transferral Form.”
Whether it has been on or off the court, Smith has not failed to make headlines this season, and has only turned up the intensity this postseason. Down 0-1 to the Pacers, the Knicks may not be able to afford Smith’s lack of focus, which he had better get in tact before Game 2 Tuesday night.
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.