The Cleveland Cavaliers will be heading into Round 2 short-handed. Power forward Kevin Love is expected to miss two or more weeks with a dislocated shoulder, and shooting guard J.R. Smith could miss time after winging a back fist that connected with the jaw of Celtics forward Jae Crowder during the Cavs’ Game 4 win.
Crowder had been antagonizing the Cavaliers throughout the game with his physical play and verbal jousting. First, he got in the face of Cavs center Kendrick Perkins after Perkins set a hard screen.
Later on a missed shot Crowder aggressively rammed into Smith as they jockeyed for rebounding position. That’s when Smith lost his cool and threw an unmistakably intentional shot that left Crowder laid out on the hardwood.
As Smith explains it, he was trying to free his arm up.
"As I'm boxing him out, I kept feeling his forearm on the upper part of my shoulders," he explained. "I tried to keep backing up, backing up. He kept pushing, pushing, pushing. And unfortunately I tried to swing my arm loose thinking that was the best way to get my arm up in position to rebound and I made contact."
Unfortunately for Smith, he has a recent history involving on-court violence. Two years ago Smith was ejected from a game and suspended from the next one for purposely elbowing then-Celtics guard Jason Terry. Since being traded this season Smith has been an asset to the Cavaliers. Against Boston he only shot 29 percent from 3-point range, but he stretches out defenses who must account for him on the perimeter.
"I know I'm nervous as hell to see what could come out of this," Smith said after the game. "It's a situation I put my teammates in and it's a selfish act...Hopefully it works out for the best."
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