- USA TODAY Sports
- Sports on Earth
- High School Sports
- Baseball HQ

- BNQT
- HoopsHype
- HOOPSWORLD
- KFFL

- MMAjunkie
- Quickish
- The Big Lead
- The Huddle

FTW!

- NFL
- MLB
- NBA
- NHL
- NCAAF
- NCAAB
- Soccer
- Golf
- NASCAR
- Tennis
- UFC

More + Search +

- Pregnant Angels fan reveals
- Kluwe blows off Obama
- USA beats Germany
- George throws down
- Pitino vs. Gee
- Tiger's bad day
- 450-mile run for Boston
- Biggest MLB surprises
- Baby Obama baseball

# Knicks done? J.R. Smith not to blame

“I take the blame for this whole series.”

By Dan Shanoff – May 15, 2013 at 7:36am EDT

Share on: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
(USA TODAY Sports)

Today’s Big Winner: Indiana Pacers

The Knicks are done.

There is a lot to argue about in sports — did Andrew Wiggins make the right choice in picking Kansas, what are the Dodgers doing letting Clayton Kershaw throw 132 pitches, is Kawhi Leonard really the best player on the Spurs — but can we all agree the Knicks are done?

Even with a theoretical two games left in NYC, the notion of New York — the way they looked last night — winning three straight against these Pacers is beyond credulity.

JR Smith threw himself under the bus: “I take the blame for this whole series.”

It’s easy to look at Smith’s 7-of-22 clunkery and saddle him with responsibility for last night’s loss, but of any Knicks player who logged more than 15 minutes last night, Smith was the only one with a positive plus-minus rating.

No, there is enough blame to go around: The Knicks got out-rebounded (out-hustled 54-36). They have no bench (besides Smith, who clearly feels the need to try to do too much by himself). Mike Woodson couldn’t make adjustments. And, oh by the way, the Pacers played brilliantly.

The story of these NBA Playoffs has gone from the individual performances of superstars like Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant or Carmelo Anthony to the largely anonymous team-first grinding of the Pacers, Grizzlies and Spurs. (As always, LeBron is exceptional.)

Say what you want about building around superstars (Indiana’s Paul George certainly qualifies as a neo-star at this point), but the Pacers have illuminated a workmanlike new path to success in the postseason — and stark contrast — to the blueprint of the glitzy Knicks.

Maybe the Knicks should think about that when they start assessing blame for the early summer this year.

More of today’s big winners:

Andrew Wiggins: Headed to Kansas, where the discussion of whether he will be KU’s greatest player ever ends with the reality he is wildly unlikely to top any of the top three: Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning and Clyde Lovellette.

(Meh: He should’ve picked the D League.)

Kawhi Leonard: Yikes.

San Antonio Spurs: Put the upstart Warriors one game from elimination.

Jonathan Quick: Kings goalie shuts out the Sharks in Western Conference semifinals opener. (The Penguins beat the Senators in their opener, too.)

Clayton Kershaw: OK, maybe it was premature to designate the Mets’ Matt Harvey as NL All-Star starting pitcher. Kershaw had 11 Ks in 8 2/3 shutout IP, notable for 132 pitches thrown, which feels like somewhere between “a lot” and “too many.”

Matt Moore: Gets AL-leading 7th win.

Manny Machado: Get to know the Orioles’ young superstar, via Bob Nightengale.

Roger Federer: What’s up with that new haircut?

Olympic wrestling: Taking a cue from MMA, via Kelly Whiteside.

Florida International: No. 118 in Paul Myerberg’s must-read college football countdown to get you ready for the 2013 season.

Wild: Some enterprising fan put all 272 of Stephen Curry’s record-setting 3s into a single video clip:

Fun: 20 fantastic sports-themed weddings, via Tim McGarry.

RIP Chuck Muncie: One of the most distinctive looks (and toughest runners) in the NFL in the late-70s and early-80s.

So awful: Guy dribbling a soccer ball from Seattle to Brazil in honor of the World Cup was hit on the road and killed.

Got fantasy baseball questions? Chat with BaseballHQ.com guru Ron Shandler at 11 ET.

Check out the Morning Win every weekday morning.
Follow Dan Shanoff on Twitter at @danshanoff.

Share on: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email

Share this URL:

### Top Stories

#### Why you have to root against the Heat

#### Indians infielder ejected from game after it is already over

#### Woman will attempt world-record swim from Cuba to Florida

### Comments

### Latest Stories

NFL 18 minutes ago

#### Redskins fullback promoted to Navy Lieutenant

NCAAF 1 hour ago

#### Top Notre Dame recruit flushes Alabama’s recruiting letters

MLB 9 hours ago

#### Yasiel Puig blasts two home runs in his second MLB game

NBA 11 hours ago

#### #RoyHibbertChallenge Day 1 recap

MLB 13 hours ago

#### Former Yanks/Mets pitcher ‘would be interested’ in NJ senate seat

MLB 14 hours ago

#### Braves pitchers advised to go streaking

MLB 14 hours ago

#### Minister’s reason for sitting during ‘God Bless America’ at the ballpark

MLB 16 hours ago

#### Triple-A manager stages sit-in on field after disputing call

NBA 16 hours ago

#### Chandler Parsons sends fan to prom in a party bus

NCAAB 16 hours ago

#### Cal reveals new basketball floor in time-lapse video

NBA 16 hours ago

#### Get excited for the NBA Finals with this awesome new promo video

NCAAB 16 hours ago

#### Commemorative Rick Pitino liquor bottles to benefit Louisville

Boxing 17 hours ago

#### Boxer taunts opponent, promptly gets knocked out

NBA 18 hours ago

#### Lakers fan’s awesome tribute to Jerry Buss

NCAAF 18 hours ago

#### Ohio State legend has a replacement for Gordon Gee all figured out

MLB 18 hours ago

#### Man abandons wife as bat comes flying

For The Win 19 hours ago

#### National championship rings are not as expensive as they appear

19 hours ago

#### Jim Harbaugh and his dad went to ‘Judge Judy’

NBA 20 hours ago

#### Watch vintage Craig ‘Skywalker’ Sager throw down a monstrous dunk

Tennis 21 hours ago

#### Serena Williams got a ‘bling blister’ from gigantic ring

### Most Popular

Boxing

#### Boxer taunts opponent, promptly gets knocked out

Golf

#### Lindsey Vonn on Tiger Woods: ‘We just are happy’

NBA

#### Charles Barkley on ‘Skip Bayless, the idiot’

MLB

#### Minister’s reason for sitting during ‘God Bless America’ at the ballpark

NBA

#### Justin Bieber turned Heat-Pacers Game 7 into a fashion show

MLB

#### Yasiel Puig blasts two home runs in his second MLB game

Tennis

#### Maria Sharapova gets Twitter burned by snubbed player’s girlfriend

NBA

#### LeBron is amazing and nobody is happy

NBA

#### #RoyHibbertChallenge Day 1 recap

NBA

#### Roy Hibbert chugs Gatorade faster than normal humans

NCAAF

#### Ohio State legend has a replacement for Gordon Gee all figured out

MLB

#### Former Yanks/Mets pitcher ‘would be interested’ in NJ senate seat

- Sports
- Cities
- Topics
- Content

- NFL
- MLB
- NBA
- NHL
- NCAAF
- NCAAB
- NASCAR
- Golf
- Soccer
- Tennis
- UFC
- Motors

- New York
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Boston
- Philadelphia
- San Francisco
- Washington
- Atlanta
- Miami
- Detroit
- Houston
- Denver
- St. Louis
- Pittsburgh
- Baltimore
- New Orleans
- Kansas City
- Cincinnati

- NBA Playoffs
- Kobe Bryant
- NHL Playoffs
- New York Knicks
- Tattoos
- Tim Tebow
- Animals
- Twitter
- Fashion
- Stats

- GIFs
- Photos
- Videos
- Graphics
- Vine

Contact Us Terms of Service Privacy Notice/Your California Privacy Rights Ad Choices
Follow @forthewin RSS