A league source conferred with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski to relay information regarding JR Smith's "hard foul" on Al Horford in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final. The foul play emerged under the basket after Al Horford tried to connect on a Marcus Smart lob, only to find himself pushed to the ground mid-flight by resident bad boy JR Smith.
The shooting guard, who has reformed his image in recent years, made the aggressive move with 3:37 remaining on the clock with the game well out of reach. It so happens that JR's Cavaliers were on the receiving end of a 107-94 drubbing, and he was probably only reacting to the scoreline, nothing personal.
Never the less, his push could have produced an injury on the play, as many have remarked. JR Smith was assessed a flagrant foul 1 on the play, and league has confirmed that it was right call given the circumstances. JR Smith admitted to "blatantly" shoving Horford, and was in no way defiant of the call. Smith will escape without a fine for his actions. Since before the ruling was rendered, both teams accused the other of foul play. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue accused the Celtics of "gooning it up" while Boston guard Marcus Smart referred to Smith as a "dirty player." Both teams have history, and the series will get uglier by all accounts. Tune in for Game 3 in Cleveland, as the Cavs to even the odds on home soil.
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