Jae Crowder: 'I don't intend to call' J.R. Smith
Early in the third quarter of his final game of the season, Jae Crowder caught a vicious back-hand punch to the face from Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith. The result of the play was a knee injury suffered by Crowder (who awkwardly fell after getting hit) and a two-game suspension for Smith.
The play happened over a month ago, but Crowder still isn't over it. Here's what he recently told the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy:
“I obviously would have been very worried if I had torn something, but once I got the results from the MRI it was all fine. I found out all of the information in the same day. Thank God I didn’t tear it. I’m very lucky that it wasn’t worse. I’ve been putting in a lot of time on the bike, but I feel like I could play today. But right now I’m focused on my body...I don’t intend to call him, that’s for sure. Nothing like that."
Forgiveness is a wonderful thing, but it's understandable for Crowder to still be angry over the play. As a young player about to hit restricted free agency, tearing a ligament in his knee would've been devastating. Thankfully there was no structural damage, though it's doubtful Smith—a repeat offender—learned anything from the episode.
(h/t: Boston Herald)
Photo Credit: Gregory Shamus/NBAE via Getty Images
