How many games should J.R. Smith be suspended?

By Luke Dahlgren | Apr 27, 2015

Jan 25, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 108-98. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

The Cleveland Cavaliers guard was ejected after receiving a flagrant-2 for smacking Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder in the face during Cleveland’s series-clinching 101-93 victory yesterday.

In what should have been a triumphant day for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the redemption of LeBron James and everyone who finds Bill Simmons hypocritical following his homerish support for his 40-42 Boston Celtics as a true postseason team while at the same time declaring that all playoff teams should finish at least .500, the Cavaliers 101-93 victory over the Celtics was marred by dirty play and uneven refereeing.

The game saw Kelly Olynyk take Kevin Love’s arm out of his socket …

… Kendrick Perkins attack Jae Crowder …

… and Isiah Thomas play covert illegal defense on LeBron from behind.

But the most egregious play happened when the Cavs J.R. Smith and Celtics Crowder fought for a rebound.

Smith was promptly smacked with a flagrant-2 foul and ejected from the game. It became clear from the outset that the referee crew led by Tony Brothers had absolutely no control over the game.

More from Cleveland Cavaliers

With the Cavaliers looking to sweep the Celtics and run them out of their building, Bostons response was to get dirty. J.R. Smith sunk to their level and blatantly smacked Jae Crowder in the face.

With a matchup impending against the Chicago Bulls (unless Jerryd Bayless suddenly become Magic Johnson), the Cavaliers will be without Smith for at least the first game. But with this not being the first of Smith’s transgressions, the NBA will be seriously considering suspending Smith for even longer.

A five game suspension for Smith would take him out for most of the second round series. With a title-hungry leader in LeBron James putting the pressure on Smith, he would have to shape up or be squeezed out of the Cavaliers inner circle. A full postseason suspension would simply make Smith antagonistic towards the NBA.

The true problem here lies with the inconsistency of the refereeing. In a heated situation like an elimination playoff game, players will become subjected to more emotional responses. If the Brothers referee crew establishes a baseline for physical play that doesn’t interfere with the intensity yet prevents the game from becoming a brawl, then something like this or the Love injury would never have happened.

In fact, the referees’ inability to handle the Love injury by properly punishing Olynyk led to the game taking on the tone that it did. The NBA should pray that a game like this doesn’t happen in the Finals, and that is a distinct possibility.

This does not excuse Smith, of course. Without Love on top of his suspension, Smith puts the Cavs into a series undermanned against a capable and likely angry team. They entered as the favorites, but now that they have less at their disposal, they may be eliminated quicker than anticipated.

[H/T: Grantland]

More from Cleveland Cavaliers

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers