Houston Rockets recently traveled to Georgia to take on the Atlanta Hawks. While the main storyline for the game was the fact that Rockets star guard and MVP candidate James Harden was suspended for the game, there was still one interesting storyline buried beneath that.
Rockets forward Josh Smith would get a chance to play against the franchise that he started his NBA career with in the Atlanta Hawks.
Smith finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes but the Rockets squandered multiple double-digit leads to allow Atlanta to comeback and win, making them the first NBA team to clinch a playoff spot.
Then after the game, Smith had some choice comments about the Hawks fans.
Following from ESPN.com’s Kevin Arnovitz.
The interplay between Smith and the Philips Arena crowd was lively throughout the night. Smith, an Atlanta native who played his first nine NBA seasons with the Hawks, was booed loudly whenever he touched the ball. The catcalls grew louder in the third quarter, after Smith drained a 3-pointer that rattled around the rim several times before dropping in. Smith then shushed the crowd by placing his finger over his lips as the Hawks called timeout.
“I mean, those fans are fickle, very fickle and bandwagoners,” Smith said. “It really doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Despite qualifying for the playoffs in Smith’s final six seasons in Atlanta, the Hawks never finished in the top half of the NBA in attendance. This season, the Hawks are faring better at the gate and averaging a smidgen more than 17,000 per game, their highest total since Smith came into the league.
Smith was a polarizing player during his nine seasons in Atlanta. Chosen by the Hawks with the No. 17 pick in 2014 draft, Smith dazzled fans with his acrobatics, shot-blocking and athleticism. But despite being only a 28.3 percent 3-point shooter, Smith attempted more than 942 shots from beyond the arc as a Hawk. Toward the end of his tenure, a groan would emanate from the crowd at Philips Arena whenever he elevated for a long-range shot.
During the game, Smith hit a 3 in the third quarter to give the Rockets a 7 point lead and then he proceeded to ‘shush’ the crowd by placing one finger over his mouth while his other hand held 3 fingers in the air as he walked off the court.
The Philips Arena faithful got the last laugh though when they sent away Smith and the Rockets with a loss.
