At least J.R. Smith is self-aware.
The fascinating Cleveland Cavaliers wing put his somewhat disappointing first-round series against the Boston Celtics to rest Sunday with an offensive blunder.
Leading by a wide margin early in the third quarter, Smith hammered Jae Crowder with a spinning back fist that would make Yahir Reyes blush:
Crowder fell to the floor and injured his left knee while Smith was assessed a flagrant-2 foul and ejected from the game. Asked about a potential suspension for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Smith seemed resigned to the fate that awaits him.
"Nervous as hell," Smith said, while clearing up that the elbow was not intentional.
The Cavs could also be without injured power forward Kevin Love, who dislocated his shoulder Sunday. It's unclear when the Cavaliers' next series will start, as they're awaiting the Chicago Bulls to close out their series against the Milwaukee Bucks, potentially as early as Monday. Love may or may not miss the opener, but Smith seems a lock to get a one-game ban.
While Smith is infamous for his antics, he's been a solid addition to the Cleveland rotation since being acquired. In 46 games, he averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while hitting 39 percent of his threes, proving a capable floor-spacer around the deadly pick-and-rolls the Cavs use to initiate the offense.
