The New York Knicks suffered another black eye in what has been a thoroughly embarrassing season after losing to the Golden State Warriors by 23 points on Friday night. Afterwards, swingman J.R. Smith ripped the team for what he said was its lack of heart.
"It's not a mental thing, it's a heart thing," Smith said as reported by ESPN.com.
He continued, again via ESPN.com: "Guys get open shots, walking through the lane, running around, slapping high-fives, laughing, joking. When you're supposed to be a team trying to make the playoffs, you ain't gonna win. It ain't gonna happen like that. You gotta play with effort, play with heart. I mean, I'm not condoning knocking somebody down and hurting nobody. But we gotta do something. We gotta stick up for ourselves. We're just letting people do what they want to do."
The latest debacle was the fifth straight loss of the Knicks, who are now 16 games under .500 and six games out of the last playoff spot in the East. The team fell behind by twin digits as early in the first quarter, with the deficit ballooning to 21 at intermission.
Smith, who shot 7 of 19 from the field on his way to 17 points, was then asked if he thinks the Knicks still can correct things. His answer was: "We're not playing like it, that's for sure. It's fine to think you are or have that belief, but if you can't put it out there on the court, then it don't mean nothing."
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