Ohio
Woosah
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2011
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I think Marc Stein needs to research what a sucker punch is.Holy overreaction, Marc Stein.
I think Marc Stein needs to research what a sucker punch is.Holy overreaction, Marc Stein.
Holy overreaction, Marc Stein.
4. Fact or Fiction: The refs deserve some blame for how they officiated the series.
Adande: Fiction. That would be like saying Jae Crowder deserved the payback for what Kelly Olynyk did to Kevin Love. With different crews working each game, you can't hold Game 4 officials accountable for what happened in Games 1-3.
Forsberg: Fiction. Refs were a nonfactor in the series and largely let the teams play "playoff basketball." Things tend to get chippy this time of year.
McMenamin: Fact. When Evan Turner is allowed to hit LeBron James in the face and it's only called a common foul in Game 1, that sets the tone for the entire series. Boston took whatever leeway it was given and by Game 4, it got out of hand.
Stein: Fiction. The skirmishes involving Olynyk/Love and Perkins/Crowder were unsavory but not uncommon for the playoffs. It happens. Yet when it comes to J.R. and Crowder, sorry, you're not going to convince me that the refs' failure to call a foul on Crowder first somehow offsets how far over the line Smith's reaction was. I blame nothing but Smith's lack of control here.
Windhorst: Fiction. The series? No. For the game? Probably. I think Tony Brothers should've ejected Perkins, then warned both benches there would be zero tolerance. No double techs, just straight ejections. That may have calmed things down because it was an elimination game. I understand there was some building frustration, but that happens in most playoff series.
Holy overreaction, Marc Stein.
J.R. Smith
Stats: 16 minutes, eight points, 3-8 FG, 2-7 3FG, two steals.
Analysis: Smith's short temper led to an ejection and uncertain playoff future. It also highlighted why New York was desperate to get rid of him.
Smith has been on his best behavior since coming from the Knicks. His redemption story has been nice to see unfold, but it was being written during the good times for the Cavs, the "honeymoon phase."
Adversity came on Sunday and Smith's answer was to take a vicious swipe at an opponent in one of the dirtiest plays of the season. Was Smith pushed in the back by Jae Crowder as the two were fighting for a rebound? He sure was. Should a foul have been called earlier? Absolutely.
However, there's no justifying Smith's blow. It was despicable. There's no place in the game for that kind of behavior and it wasn't a basketball play.
Smith should be embarrassed and the league should come down hard on him. It wasn't showing toughness, it was taking a blatant cheap shot because he couldn't control his emotions well enough in a heated series. That's not a good sign as the postseason progresses. It doesn't matter what else he did on Sunday. He was ejected from a closeout game. That tells the story of his Game 4.
Grade: F
Holy overreaction, Marc Stein.
He speaks the truth. JR has issues with "losing his cool." This isn't the first time and it probably won't be the last. I would be shocked if the league didn't come down hard on him for yet another cheap shot.
Unless you think JR had eyes in the back of the head and in a split second plane for Crowder to step back, the JR play isn't even remotely the same as what Artest did. Perhaps it's hard to give JR the benefit of the doubt, but there is a somewhat reasonable basketball explanation for what he did. There is no basketball explanation for Artest.
Holy overreaction, Marc Stein.
Sucker punch? He swung his arm wildly to clear space with Crowder BEHIND him. A sucker punch is what Melo did to mardy collins.
If Smith hits Crowder on the arm it's a tech at worst. He just happened to knock that fake tough guy out.