https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxyWn2AiORY
David Blatt can’t call on J.R. Smith until Game 3
J.R. Smith has officially been suspended 2 games by the NBA for his hit on the Boston Celtics’ Jae Crowder during yesterday’s Game 4 of the Celtics/Cavs series, after which the Celtics were eliminated from playoff contention
During the game–which was already contentious after the Cavs’ Kendrick Perkins, a member of the Celtics 2008 championship team, threw Crowder to the ground while setting an illegal screen–Smith and Crowder were battling for position prior to a rebound, which is when Smith swung his arm around struck Crowder in the face, sending Crowder straight to the ground. You can see footage of the incident above.
The Cavs have already moved on to the second round, where their likely opponent will be the Chicago Bulls, who will attempt to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks in tonight’s Game 5, and the loss of J.R. Smith could prove to be problematic. J.R. Smith will not be eligible to play until the series switches to Chicago in Game 3.
