Amar’e Stoudemire took exception to J.R. Smith‘s remarks about the team not playing with “heart.” The Knicks forward makes some points in his rebuttal, but this isn’t the time for anyone to get all in their feelings over a statement that may be true. The team has looked absolutely terrible and one would question their heart; it’s past the point where you can only blame the coach.
Smith’s comments:
“We’re not playing like (we will turn it around), that’s for sure, ’’ said Smith, who scored 17 points. “It’s not a mental thing. It’s a heart thing. We’re letting people score 50 points in the paint over and over again. We ain’t going to win games like that.
“Guys getting open, hitting shots, running around, high-fiving, laughing, joking. You’re not going to win. It ain’t gonna happen like that. You gotta play with effort, play with heart. I mean, I’m not condoning knocking somebody down and hurting nobody. But we gotta do something. We gotta stick up for ourselves. We’re just letting people do what they want to do.
“It’s about testing people’s heart.”
Stoudemire’s rebuttal:
“You have to look at yourself in the mirror before we make statements,’’ Stoudemire said when asked about the comments. “We got to make sure you’re playing hard first. You take care of yourself and then everyone else will follow suit. Until you do it yourself, then you can lead by example.’’
via: NY Post
