Joe Camporeale-USA Today Sports
It’s growing more and more likely that New York Knicks guard and newly-crowned Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith will be suspended for Game 4 of his team’s opening round playoff series against the Boston Celtics after elbowing Boston guard Jason Terry in the face, but to say that New York is destined to lose that game would be utterly false.
Smith is averaging 16.3 points per game in the postseason thus far, and is shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 31 percent from long range.
I can understand why some would feel that the Knicks can’t complete the sweep without star scorer Carmelo Anthony‘s No. 2, but these are not the same Knicks fans have come to know and love over the past year. Rather than fall down and die when a key player is out for any reason, the players have done a great job of coming together and adjusting accordingly, with certain players stepping up to help the team in any way possible.
In New York’s case, especially in this playoff series, point guard Raymond Felton and backup big man Kenyon Martin have proven to be the key x-factors. Felton is averaging 14.7 points, six assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 48 percent from the field this series, while Martin is averaging six points, eight rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 22.7 minutes per game off the bench.
Considering how center Tyson Chandler is still getting his legs and conditioning back and Amar’e Stoudemire is injured once again, it’s kind of incredible that New York has still played so well.
Thus, if Smith is indeed suspended, Knicks fans need not worry about the team’s prospects for Game 4. Sure, it’s in front of a rowdy Boston crowd at TD Garden, but momentum is on New York’s side. A sweep is in sight, and all players are going to work extra hard to pull it off whether Smith is in uniform or not.
