New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith put on a show for the fans at Madison Square Garden with some dazzling plays during Thursday night's game against Cleveland.
In the first quarter, Smith froze Cavs forward Anthony Bennett with a crossover move, giving himself the opening to drive to the basket and bringing the Knicks bench to their feet with a powerful one-handed jam.
In the third quarter, Smith freed himself up for an open jump shot with a stutter-step move that sent Tristan Thompson falling on his rear end.
In the fourth quarter, Smith put the exclamation point on his night by beating the Cavs defense to catch the "touchdown pass" from Tim Hardaway Jr. and finishing with the reverse slam. It seemed perfectly appropriate given that Super Bowl XLVIII is being held in the Tri-State area this Sunday.
Smith scored 19 points in the Knicks' 117-86 blowout victory. The recent resurgence of Smith is a positive for the Knicks, who seemed ready to send Smith out of town after the infamous "shoelace" incident raised questions about his lack of focus. However, Smith has averaged 16 PPG over his last eight games, so he may finally have his head back in the game. For now, anyway.
Video via NBA.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
