Earlier in the NBA's postseason, Cavs veteran sharpshooter J.R. Smith called Pacers guard Lance Stephenson a "clown" for his weird antics on the court—presumably including his dirty play. Now, J.R. is being accused of the same thing.
In the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Smith pushed Celtics big man Al Horford as he attempted to catch a pass near the basket.
J.R. was whistled for a flagrant foul. After the game, he said it was a "good call" and admitted he "blatantly pushed" Horford.
Horford's teammates, including Celtics guard Marcus Smart, stood up for his teammate and got in Smith's face.
Smart aired his frustrations with Smith post-game and accused him of playing a "dirty" style of basketball.
"That's a dirty shot," Smart said of the foul. "You just can't allow that to keep happening. It's not the first time J.R. has done some dirty stuff, especially playing against us. He's known for it, especially playing against us. We know that. It's like a bully; you keep letting a bully pick on you, he's going to keep picking on you until you stand up."
Game 3 is slated for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. EST in Cleveland, as the Cavs, who are down 2-0, will look to climb back into the series.
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The 10 Pettiest Moments of the NBA Season
We boiled down our list to highlight (in our humble opinion) the 10 pettiest moments from the 2017-18 NBA season. There's a healthy does of LeBron James mixed in with some Lance Stephenson with a sprinkling of Joel Embiid, Russell Westbrook, and many other familiar characters.
