J.R. Smith hits seven first-half threes to spark Knicks
J.R. Smith #8 of the New York Knicks reacts after scoring a three pointer against the Boston Celtics. (April 17, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
He missed his first shot. And you could almost hear the groan from the Madison Square Garden crowd as they wondered just what kind of night J.R. Smith was going to have.
That sense of wariness didn't last long, however, as Smith put together his best game as a Knick in a 118-10 win over the Celtics Tuesday night.
Smith scored 21 of his 25 points in the first half, knocking down seven three-pointers from almost every corner of the Garden except the blue seats. Over a 14-minute stretch spanning the first and second quarters, Smith was 7-for-9 from downtown. His shooting appeared to be contagious; by midway through the second quarter, he had the Garden fans on their feet and had his teammates hitting three pointers of their own.
"Once J.R. got it going like that at the beginning, it really helped everybody," said Steve Novak, who was 8-for-10 on threes and scored 25 points. "It really helped seeing the ball go in like that."
All told, the Knicks were 14-for-21 from three-point range in the first half as they opened a 72-53 halftime lead. In the second quarter alone, the Knicks had 11 threes -- five from Smith, four from Steve Novak, one from Mike Bibby and one from Carmelo Anthony.
It was a clutch performance by Smith after the Knicks showed during Sunday's loss to Miami that they are going to have a hard time beating an elite team depending solely upon Anthony, their one healthy superstar.
Anthony, who had 42 points against Miami, followed that up with a 35-point, triple-double performance Tuesday night but also got plenty of support.
Smith, who shot 6-for-15 and scored 16 points in the loss to Miami, said he had a completely different feeling on the floor Tuesday night. "It was a great feeling, like it was shooting practice," said Smith, who shot 8-for-16 overall.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson has showed great faith in Smith, leaving him in games even when he seems to have a cold shooting touch. Smith admits that even he gets frustrated when things start off poorly.
"You have to realize in the game of basketball that you're not going to make every shot," he said. "You never know if you're going to make it unless you take it."
Smith said he could feel the excitement in the Garden after hitting his first couple of shots.
"When the fans get into it, you could hear a little roar starting off," he said. "It's a great feeling. It's indescribable."
