ESPN

The Knicks had it all planned out:

Bring black clothing to Game 5. Win the game, eliminate the Celtics and have a little fun afterward by wearing all black in the locker room to mimic a funeral.

Didn't exactly work out that way, though.

"We were going to a funeral," J.R. Smith said, "but it looks like we got buried."

And Smith helped the Knicks dig their own grave on Wednesday.

Coming off a Game 4 suspension, the Knicks' sixth man was a no-show against Boston in Game 5. He missed his first 10 shots and finished 3-for-14 with 14 points and two turnovers.

"It was a struggle for him pretty much the whole game," Mike Woodson said. "We got to get him in a position where he’s not struggling like that. We need him to score the basketball for us."

The Knicks' reliance on Smith has burned them in the last two games.

Smith was suspended in Game 4 for hitting Jason Terry with an elbow to the face in Game 3.

Without their sixth man, the Knicks' offense stalled.

Carmelo Anthony missed a career-high 25 shots and the Knick bench produced just three points in an overtime loss.

On Wednesday, Smith hurt the Knicks again. Only this time, he was in uniform.

New York jumped out to an 11-0 lead on Boston before Mike Woodson summoned Smith off the bench.

He checked in with 6:38 to go in the quarter and proceeded to miss his first five shots. It was no coincidence that the Knicks trailed, 45-39, at the half.

One reason for Smith's shooting struggles?

Pre-game anxiety.

Smith said he was "extremely anxious" before hitting the floor.

"Coming into the game a lot of fans got me hyped," he said. "I really couldn't wait to play."

Some of those same fans were booing him off the floor when Smith missed a 3-pointer with 34 seconds to go and the Knicks down nine.

By then, it was clear that Smith and the Knicks would be heading to Boston for Game 6 instead of celebrating their first playoff series win since 2000. It was also clear that the Knicks wouldn't be attending any funerals.

"We'll take that. It's all a part of being humbled," Smith said. "Basketball is a very humbling game."

Smith was anything but humble the day before Game 5. He said that the series would have ended in a sweep had he played in Game 4 ("I'd have been playing golf today," he said). He also playfully claimed to not know who Jason Terry was.

But Terry made sure Smith knew his name on Wednesday.

The Celts' sixth man poured in 17 key points in Game 5, including a 3-pointer with three minutes to go to give the Celtics a 12-point lead.

"We can't take nothing away from them," Smith said. "They're a championship ball club."

That's something the Knicks aspire to be. But they've looked like anything but in the last two games.

"Nobody said it was gonna be easy, but now it’s a series," Woodson said.

Smith, to his credit, accepted full blame for the Knicks' last two losses.

"Yeah, without a doubt," he said. "From the absence of Game 4 ... and then [to] come out today, stink it up.

"I can't have a game like this," he added. "I can't have another one like this."

He's right. Because if he and the Knicks continue to struggle, they might have all summer to hit the golf course.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- J.R. Smith thinks the New York Knicks would have swept the Boston Celtics if he had played in Game 4 of their first-round series.

"Oh yeah, it would've been over," Smith said after Tuesday's practice. "I'd have been playing golf today."

The NBA suspended Smith for Game 4 after the Sixth Man Award winner threw an elbow at Jason Terry's chin late in Game 3.

Smith watched on television Sunday as the Celtics defeated the Knicks 97-90 in overtime to avoid elimination and extend the series. Terry scored nine points in overtime.

Asked about Terry on Tuesday, Smith said, "Who? I don't even know who that is."

Click here for the full news story.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

BOSTON -- After the Knicks' Game 2 win, Kevin Garnett called Raymond Felton "the X-factor" in the first-round series.

After Game 4, even though the Knicks lost 97-90 in overtime, Felton was one of the best scoring point guards on the planet, putting up 27 points on 10-for-21 shooting.

It was needed without the team's second-leading scorer, J.R. Smith (18.1 points per game), who was serving a one-game suspension after throwing an elbow into Jason Terry's chin in Game 3.

"[Felton] was huge in this game for us, especially missing J.R.," Kenyon Martin said afterward. "We needed someone else to make shots for us, and he did that for us. Ray is a professional. He's the ultimate competitor, and that's what we need from him each and every night."

Felton's biggest impact came in the third quarter, when the Knicks outscored the Celtics, 30-14. Not only was he making shots, but he was also active boxing out Avery Bradley and grabbing boards, and aggressively halfcourt trapping. He finished with threes steals.

Overall in the game, Felton consistently got deep into the paint -- "That's one of the things that we've been able to do this whole series," he said -- and he was money from downtown, finishing 4-for-9 from that range.

"For him, it's just always mentality," Steve Novak told ESPNNewYork.com. "Is he looking for other guys more, is he shooting? I think with J.R. out, I think he knew he had to be a little bit more aggressive. It just shows that he can be the other scorer."

COPING WITH IT: In a curious coaching decision, Chris Copeland did not play in Game 4.

With J.R. Smith out, the team may have benefited from Copeland's offense. But the rookie was glued to the bench for all 53 minutes of basketball on Sunday.

Copeland said afterward that he was healthy enough to play (he's dealing with an injured shoulder). He did not know the thinking behind his DNP but did not take issue with it.

With Smith out, Woodson went with Jason Kidd as his first guard off the bench. He also played Quentin Richardson for 2:46 in the second quarter. The Knicks were outscored by six points with Richardson on the floor.

For the series, Copeland is scoreless in 24 minutes. He has attempted five shots.

TYSON FEELS "LIVELY": Tyson Chandler was on the floor for a playoff-high 31 minutes on Sunday and said afterward that his conditioning is improving day by day.

"I'm starting to get my legs back, get some spring," Chandler said after pulling down 11 rebounds and blocking a shot in Game 4.

Chandler missed 16 of the Knicks' final 20 regular season games lost weight due to an illness late in the regular season. So he didn't quite look like himself in the first two games of the series. But he was encouraged by Sunday's outing.

"I felt great tonight. I felt real lively, was moving around real well. Thought I gave my team an opportunity," he said.

BOSTON -- Entering Game 4, the Knicks had only one come-from-behind win this season after being down 20-plus points. That happened against the Cavaliers on March 4, when the Knicks' deficit was 22 points.

On Sunday, the Knicks could've had their second big comeback after trailing 59-39 near the start of the third quarter. That was the largest lead of the game, in which the Celtics pulled out in overtime, 97-90.

The Knicks' veteran approach and relentless attack were all over the second half -- two common factors that have kept the Knicks in many games no matter who's in uniform. And as the Knicks' embark on Game 5 back in New York on Wednesday, their close-out mentality and playoff experience should come in handy, especially at home, where they only lost 10 games all season.

"We have a bunch of guys who are not going to quit. We're going to play," Jason Kidd told ESPNNewYork.com. "We're a veteran ball club, so we don't panic."

On Sunday, the Knicks' second-half momentum started in the locker room.

"At halftime, we were all just preaching, 'Where do we want to be?'" Iman Shumpert said. "We're up 3-0, they made a run and they made their push, so we're going to make our push in the second half and put ourselves in a position to win at the end of the game."

After halftime, all five players on the court were in unison defensively. The guards set the tone, reading passing lanes well and pushing a faster pace -- a key that's overwhelmed the Celtics in the series. The Knicks finished with 10 steals -- their third game in the series with at least that amount.

"We knew we needed some energy and get something to happen for us, and we did," Steve Novak said. "We got big steals, we got big stops."

The guards also extended their aggressiveness to the boards, especially Iman Shumpert, who finished with four offensive rebounds.

"I've just been watching a lot of film going into the playoffs, and I knew I could help out a lot on the boards," he said. "I found myself standing a lot when I saw shots got up."

In addition, Chandler's trademark tapbacks led to several second-chance points for the team down the stretch.

"Just an effort thing honestly," the center said. "I’m starting to get my legs back, getting some spring. I was just able to get a couple extra opportunities."

While the Knicks fell just short to the Celtics, their fight in Game 4 was there until the end -- even with Shumpert and Raymond Felton filling in offensively for Smith's absence. The team is confident in closing out the first-round series on Wednesday.

"We knew [today] was going to be a dogfight, and the fact that we came back from a 20-point deficit shows a lot about our team," Felton said.

Carmelo Anthony added: "I take my hat off to my guys for fighting back ... We look forward to bringing this game back home to the Garden Wednesday. The Garden will be rocking Wednesday. We'll be prepared for it."

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

BOSTON -- With J.R. Smith suspended for Game 4 against the Celtics, after throwing an elbow that struck the chin of Jason Terry in Game 3, the Knicks will be minus 18 points.

"You're going to miss his scoring, but it gives somebody else an opportunity to come up," Mike Woodson said before the game. "This is not a one- or two-man show on this team, and it gives other guys an opportunity to step up and make plays. That's what I want to see."

So what does that mean for Woodson's roster management?

"Next guy up," he said. "We've got James White, we've got Quentin Richardson, [Chris Copeland] is still sitting over there, so we'll shuffle our lineup and go from there."

The Knicks had balanced scoring in the first quarter in Game 3 -- all five starters scored -- and that continued throughout the game. Pablo Prigioni's and Raymond Felton's ability to get deep into the paint off of pick-and-rolls has been a key in the series. They're also getting defensive stops and battling for boards, and then pushing a faster, more effective pace than the Celtics.

Prigioni's play has really caught the attention of Woodson.

"Pablo puts a lot of time in the gym," he said. "I think the fact that he's watched a lot of tape and he's examined guys after the first go-around, he's grown. He's a totally different player now, plus he's getting more minutes, too, so that helps. And then when you're winning, he's been a big part of it. We couldn't be more happy with the play of Pablo because he's been great."

Pick-and-roll playmaking has also come from Smith. Now that he's sidelined, Woodson could call for Carmelo Anthony to operate more screen sets with Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin to facilitate more scoring and ball movement.

Melo will also have to continue to be effective making quick reads out of double-teams. Woodson has liked his passing in those defensive formations.

"Melo's been solid like that all season," he said. "He's seeing double-teams and guys running at him when he's isolated, and he's going to have to continue to sacrifice the ball. A lot of the players around him have benefited from it because if the ball's moving, they're getting wide-open looks. We've been pretty good in that area in terms of knocking down shots."

Chandler is also improving health-wise, gaining more strength from his recent flu. His increased movement offensively, rolling to the basket and running the floor to set transition screens and finish as a trail man, should help the Knicks in Game 4.

"He's getting better," Woodson said. "I mean, each game has gotten better from Game 1 to now. He's playing much better. We're not burning him in terms of minutes because Kenyon is right there, too, playing almost half the minutes. I've been trying to go with whoever's playing pretty decent down the stretch. That's who's been in the game."

The Knicks have shown this season they can cope with players out of the lineup. Can that happen again on Sunday?

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

BOSTON -- New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith has been suspended for Game 4 of the Knicks-Celtics playoff series for throwing an elbow that struck the chin of Boston's Jason Terry in Game 3, the NBA announced Saturday night.

Smith was ejected in the fourth quarter of the Knicks' win against Boston on Friday after hitting Terry in the face with an elbow. Referees ruled it a flagrant foul 2. The league reviews all flagrant fouls in the regular season and postseason and has the option to reclassify the foul, impose a fine or suspend a player.

In a statement, the NBA said it suspended Smith for "throwing an elbow and striking the chin" of Terry.

Smith said on Friday he was trying to draw a foul on Terry on the play, which occurred with seven minutes to play in the game and the Knicks ahead by 19.

"That was a bad basketball play on my behalf, just because I got kicked out of the game and my team needed me," said Smith, who won the NBA's Sixth Man Award earlier this week.

For the full news story, click here.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

BOSTON -- The Knicks have a chance to win their first playoff series in 13 seasons on Sunday afternoon. They're up 3-0 on the Celtics and can complete a sweep with a win in Game 4 at TD Garden.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on; tipoff is at 1 p.m. ET (ABC):

NO J.R.: The Knicks' bench has outscored the Celtics' reserves, 90-33, this series. But Boston may be able to close the gap Sunday because the Knicks will be without sixth man J.R. Smith.

Smith was suspended one game without pay by the NBA for striking the chin of Jason Terry in the fourth quarter of Game 3.

Smith, the Sixth Man Award winner this season, is New York's second-leading scorer in the playoffs. He averaged 16.3 points per game in New York's first three wins over the Celtics.

It's unclear who will fill the void left by Smith but Chris Copeland is a candidate to get more minutes on Sunday.

Copeland started Game 1 for the Knicks but has not scored in 24 minutes on the floor in the series.

MELO'S SHOW: Carmelo Anthony said sweeping the Celtics on Sunday would be a "dream come true."

If Anthony can score on Sunday like he has in the first three games of this series, his dream may become a reality.

Anthony's averaging an NBA playoff-high 32 points per game this postseason. He's shooting 46 percent from the field and has hit 50 percent of his 3s (8-for-16).

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Anthony is on pace to set a franchise record for scoring average in a series against Boston.

Patrick Ewing averaged 31.6 points in the Knicks' first round win in 1990 over the Celtics. Bernard King poured in an average of 29.1 points per game in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston in 1983-84 (a Knicks win). Willis Reed averaged 27.5 points per game in the Knicks' loss to the Celtics in the 1967 Eastern Division semifinals.

DEE-FENCE: There's been a combination of strong defense by the Knicks and awful offense from the Celtics so far in this series.

Boston has scored just 225 total points thus far. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the Celts' fewest point total over any three-game span in a single postseason in franchise history. The Celtics' franchise low for a four-game span in the postseason is 325 points. Boston would need to reach 100 points in Game 4 to prevent from setting a new 4-game low.

New York has held Boston to 39 percent shooting and forced an average of 17 turnovers per game in the series.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

What led to J.R. Smith winning the Sixth Man Award?

Consider the visual above, showing how hot Smith was in the last 15 games of the season, and the following stat:

When Smith shot 50 percent or better from the field this season, the Knicks went 22-3.

They won the last 13 regular-season games in which he made at least half his shots.

Not surprisingly, when Smith was cold, the Knicks didn't win as much. They went 12-11 when he shot below 35 percent from the field.

One other tidbit: Smith was the first player to win the Sixth Man averaging at least 18 points and five rebounds in 20 years. The last was Clifford Robinson in 1992-93.

Notes provided by Micah Adams and Brandon Mendoza.

J.R. Smith recently said that if the Knicks win the championship, he will get a Knicks tattoo.

So should fans read anything into the permanency of that potential blue and orange addition?

Well, during a "SportsCenter" segment on Monday discussing his Sixth Man Award, Smith said that New York is where he wants to finish his career.

"Without a doubt," Smith said. "I was born in New Jersey, born and raised. I would love to retire a Knick."

This offseason, Smith could be tempted to leave financially. The Knicks can only pay him up to $5 million based on his Early Bird Rights -- 175 percent of his salary this season. But another team with significant cap space can offer Smith a higher amount, and the Knicks would be powerless to stop him from leaving. And since he's not restricted, meaning the Knicks have no control over his free agency, they won't be able to match any offer sheets to retain him.

In favor of the Knicks keeping Smith is his close relationship with Carmelo Anthony and Mike Woodson, who helped push the 27-year-old into one of the best shooting guards in the NBA down the stretch this season. In addition, Smith loves New York City beyond the court, from being close to home to the nightlife. He's also seen a recent spike in his sponsorship deals (for example, SK Energy).

MORE SHOTS FOR KG? Celtics coach Doc Rivers said that he'd like to get Kevin Garnett more involved offensively in Game 2. Kenyon Martin appreciates the coach's candor.

"That's fine, whatever. They've got to make adjustments," he said. "So if they're going to tell [the media] that's what they're doing, thank you, so we can prepare."

The Knicks big man helped hold Garnett to eight points on 4-for-12 shooting in Game 1.

DOUBLE TROUBLE? Anthony expects more double teams from the Celtics on Tuesday. He was single covered often on Saturday and scored 36 points on 13-for-29 shooting.

"I think that's an adjustment they will make; double teams. We're prepared for that," Melo said. "I have to make plays for [my teammates]; they have to make plays for me."

Anthony said that he missed a few open shots on Saturday, but he wasn't beating himself up over them.

"I'm not really worried about what I shoot from the field and things like that," he said. "I'm trying to win the basketball game."

On the perception that he's a shoot-first player after he had just one assist on Saturday, Anthony said, "It really doesn't matter to me. I know what type of player I am. I know that I share the ball. We share the ball as a team. Sometimes me sharing the ball, I don't always get the assist. It is what it is. I really don’t pay no attention to it."

You can follow Jared Zwerling and Ian Begley on Twitter.

WHAT IT MEANS: J.R. Smith is the third player in Knicks history to win the NBA's Sixth Man Award, joining John Starks (1996-97) and Anthony Mason (1994-95). Smith beat out Clippers guard Jamal Crawford, a former Knick, for the award.

Smith led all bench players in points per game with 18.1. Crawford was second with 16.5 points per game. Golden State's Jarrett Jack (12.9 ppg) was another leading candidate for the honor.

HOW'D HE GET IT? For most of the season, it seemed as though Smith would take second place to Crawford. Smith was having a typical Smith season -- stretches of brilliance mixed in with streaks of poor shooting.

He struggled for much of January, shooting 36 percent from the floor in that month, including just 25 percent from beyond the arc.

But Smith started taking the ball to the rim consistently in mid-March, and everything changed.

During the Knicks' 13-game winning streak late in the regular season, the New Jersey native was a model of consistency. He scored 23.2 points per game on 49 percent shooting; prior to the winning streak, Smith averaged 16.7 points per game on 40 percent shooting.

The cause of Smith's turnaround was simple, really. He took better shots.

Smith doubled the percentage of shots he took in the restricted area during the winning streak (15.6 percent before March 18; 33 percent in the 13 games after).

For the season, Smith averaged 5.3 rebounds per game and handed out 2.7 assists. He shot 42.2 percent from the floor and 35.6 percent from beyond the arc.

WHAT ABOUT NOW? The Knicks need Smith to continue to attack the rim in the postseason. Coach Mike Woodson, who deserves as much credit as anyone in the Knicks organization for Smith's success, is confident that he can do so.

"He's grown as a player," Woodson said on the eve of the playoffs. "He's been very coachable. Yeah, we've had our battles over the year, but again, I'm paid to coach, he's paid to play. He's benefited from everything we've asked him to do and he's had a lot to do with that because he's learned his craft well and he's pushed himself. He's highly motivated."

Added longtime teammate Carmelo Anthony: "He's just focused. I saw a different J.R. this year. Everybody saw a different J.R. this year. He's locked in, he's focused. And he wants to win. It's about that time."

Smith had 15 points on 7-for-19 shooting in the Knicks' Game 1 win over the Celtics.

WILL HE STAY IN NEW YORK? Smith signed a two-year contract worth $2.8 million in the offsesaon. The second year has a player option. So Smith can exercise that and become a free agent this summer.

The Knicks will have Smith's Early Bird Right, meaning they can exceed the salary cap to re-sign the shooting guard if he decides to decline the 2013-14 player option, as expected.

As my colleague Jared Zwerling reported earlier this year, because the Knicks have Smith's Early Bird Rights, they can pay him up to 175 percent of this season's salary, which is $2.8 million. That means the Knicks could offer him a contract for next season at about $5 million, and the agreement could be up to four years with standard raises.

However, another team with significant cap space can offer Smith a higher amount than $5.5 million, and the Knicks would be powerless to stop him from leaving.

Smith seems comfortable in New York. He's close to his family, which is important to him. And he has a great relationship with Woodson. But at 27, this is a prime opportunity for Smith to earn a significant contract.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

Knicks guard J.R. Smith has won the NBA's Sixth Man Award, a league source confirmed to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com on Monday.

The Knicks have called an afternoon news conference at which Smith will receive the award, the source said. The news was previously reported by The Associated Press.

The eighth-year guard has averaged 18.1 points in 80 games, all off the bench. He had 29 games in which he scored 20 points as a reserve, tying him with the Clippers' Jamal Crawford for the NBA lead.

Click here for the full news story.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

WHAT IT MEANS: The Knicks and Celtics will tangle once again.

New York beat the Indiana Pacers 90-80 on Sunday to clinch the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

The win sets up a first-round matchup with the seventh-seeeded Boston Celtics, their long-time rival. The Celtics swept the Knicks in the 2011 playoffs.

New York won the season series with Boston this year though, beating the Celts in three of four games.

Sewing up the second seed also guarantees that the Knicks will have home-court through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

THREE-DICULOUS: The Knicks relied on a balanced attack to beat Indiana on Sunday. Four players were in double figures; New York also took advantage of hot shooting from beyond the arc.

The Knicks hit five of their first nine 3s to take a 20-point lead in the second quarter. Indy cut it to seven at halftime and trailed by single digits for much of the second half, but New York hit three 3-pointers early in the fourth to maintain control.

MIFFED MELO: Carmelo Anthony was beat up by Indiana on Sunday afternoon in what could be a preview for the Knicks star forward if these teams meet in the postseason.

Anthony appeared to get hit in the midsection by David West in the third quarter and was hit across the arm by Sam Young. He winced after both incidents. Anthony, who shot 9-for-23 from the floor, also may have suffered a left shoulder injury.

He seemed to be frustrated at times and picked up a technical foul for arguing in the third quarter. Anthony has 14 technicals, two shy of an automatic one-game suspension. But there are only two games left in the regular season, so it's academic at this point.

COPING MECHANISM: Chris Copeland continued his recent run of strong play with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting off the bench. J.R. Smith had 15 and Iman Shumpert added 10.

Shumpert drew a flagrant foul on Indy center Roy Hibbert in the third when Hibbert raked Shumpert across the neck on a drive.

BROOK-LYN!: Brooklyn's Lance Stephenson had a game-high 22 for Indiana. Stephenson won four PSAL championships on the Madison Square Garden floor at Lincoln High. ... The Pacers outrebounded the Knicks, 45-32.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Knicks will travel to Charlotte to take on the Bobcats before wrapping up the regular season against Atlanta.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith are close friends, longtime teammates and training partners in the offseason. So it wasn't a surprise when one of them had the other one's back Friday in Cleveland.

Smith knew Anthony needed some rest and told him, "I got you." The night before in Chicago, Melo played 45 minutes and ended up taking 34 shots and grabbing 19 rebounds just to keep the Knicks in a game without any of their big men. While he scored 36 points, he got beat up on nearly every drive to the basket by a physical Bulls team.

So what did Smith do at the Q? After Anthony scored 31 points through three quarters, the sixth man allowed him to sit the rest of the way, taking the reins on offense and finishing the game 12-for-12 from the field in the final two periods. In the end, Smith led the Knicks to the 101-91 victory, scoring the same amount of points as Melo.

"I needed [Smith] to do that," Anthony told reporters after the game. "Everybody contributed to that, but for him to have it going and keep it going the way he did in that fourth, it gave me a chance."

Based on the Knicks' last 15 games, during which they went 14-1, Anthony and Smith have been the best scoring duo in the NBA, averaging a combined 57.2 points per game. While Melo has been averaging 33.1 points on 49.4 percent shooting, Smith has been at 24.1 points on 50.4 percent shooting. Prior to that, he was averaging 16.7 points per game on the season.

Smith is now the favorite for his first-ever Sixth Man Award, and a big reason is how he's expanded his repertoire. With the Knicks' depleted frontline, both Smith and Melo know they're the best offensive threats, and they've taken their games inside more. While Melo has been averaging 9.4 rebounds per game in the last 15 games, Smith has been at 6.3, and they've both taken 105 free throws each during that span.

Both players have taken advantage of their versatile skill sets, bigger size at their positions and experience. The biggest credit to Anthony and Smith performing so well together has been their ability to play off of each other and not crowd the court.

What's raised their level of play has been their quicker thinking off the dribble. They've been initiating moves to the basket right away instead of holding the ball or dribbling it too long. Their play is almost rhythmic -- one dribble, two dribble, go -- and it's led to better efficiency. Their faster attack mode has not only put defenses on their toes, but it's also sped up the team's ball flow leading to more open shots.

They've also been healthy. While Anthony is feeling fresh since getting his right knee drained, Smith is not dealing with the sore left Achilles heel that was bothering earlier in the season.

Having their two best offensive players ready to go, and in the zone, is arguably the best thing going for the Knicks just a few days before the playoffs begin. Now it's on to curing their bigs.

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

J.R. Smith knows what some of you are thinking. He knows some of you are watching him play in recent weeks and wondering when the other shoe will drop, wondering when "Bad J.R." will again inhabit the No. 8 jersey.

But he’s here to tell you -- and show you -- that you can forget about it. Smith says his inconsistent play is a thing of the past.

"I’ve been known as an inconsistent player (but) I’m just tired of hearing that," Smith said last week on ESPN New York 98.7. "I just want to be as consistent as I can be to help my teammates and give us our best chance to win."

That's exactly what he's done over the past three weeks.

During the Knicks' 13-game winning streak, Smith has been a model of consistency.

He’s scoring 23.2 points per game on 49 percent shooting since the streak started March 18 against the Jazz; prior to that date, Smith averaged 16.7 points per game on 40 percent shooting.

The cause of Smith’s turnaround is simple, really: he’s taking better shots.

The Knicks' sixth man has doubled the percentage of shots he takes in the restricted area during the winning streak (15.6 percent before 3/18; 33 percent since).

He’s also taken a significantly lower percentage of mid-range jumpers since the streak started (36.8 percent of his attempts were midrange jumpers prior to 3/18; he’s down to 27.4 percent since).

"My jumper’s been on and off a lot this year and I’d been relying way too much on it," Smith said during an interview on "The Michael Kay Show." "When I drive, no one can really stay in front of me ... and it helps out our shooters because eventually everybody’s going to have to collapse and I’m able to find (an open) shooter."

The increase in trips into the paint has also helped Smith get to the free-throw line.

Prior to March 18, Smith averaged 3.2 free-throw attempts per game. In the last 13 games, that number has jumped to 7.2. Also, his true shooting percentage, which accounts for free-throws and three-pointers, has climbed from 40 percent to 50 percent.

All of the numbers have catapulted Smith into the conversation for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award. They've also increased the price tag for Smith this summer, when he tests free-agency.

But he’s not worried about that at the moment. Rather, Smith insists he’s focused on one thing: staying consistent.

"This is the best I think I’ve played right now," Smith said. "Every day and every game is being consistent, that’s the biggest thing."

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

Out of the 23 shots the Knicks took in the first quarter, 12 of those were 3-point attempts -- and they made a ridiculous nine of them. Only J.R. Smith, Pablo Prigioni and Kenyon Martin didn't hit one. That long-range accuracy fueled the Knicks to their first-half lead, as they finished the first two quarters with 12 3s.

With a win on Tuesday night (or a Nets loss), the Knicks will clinch the Atlantic Division crown and it will guarantee them home-court advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs.

Here are four other main observations at halftime:

1. Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd's playmaking: In the first quarter, Felton put his stamp on the game all over the court. He first ran off of a double-screen set by Martin and Carmelo Anthony for a 3-pointer; he slid backdoor, received a pass from Prigioni and then swung it to Iman Shumpert for a baseline corner 3; he pushed the ball all the way off of his own defensive rebound and scored a fast-break layup; and then he penetrated deep into the paint in the closing seconds of the period, contorted his body mid-air and dished to Chris Copeland at the top of the key spotting up from downtown.

In the closing seconds of the second quarter, he stole the ball from John Wall and converted a layup, finishing a strong first half.

Kidd was all energy in the second quarter, pushing the ball well and setting up plays to get Steve Novak open from 3-point range. Novak was 3-for-5 from downtown. At 40 years old, Kidd still has great wheels up the court.

2. Shumpert's resilience: In the early stages of the first quarter, his assignment, Martell Webster, beat him off of a back screen. Then, Webster burned him to the basket when Shumpert went to double team Nene. Mike Woodson saw enough and called a timeout, initially getting on the second-year player. But when Shumpert stepped on the court again, he made an impact right away. He intercepted a pass from Wall, pushed the ball and passed to Prigioni for an outside shot. Then, in two following possessions, Shumpert knocked down two 3-pointers.

3. Melo's cross-court passes: He had three of them in the first half from the low post when he was getting double-teamed or right before the pressure. He's already a danger to defenses on the block, but his court awareness is an added weapon to the team.

4. Containing Wall: The Wizards starting point guard scored 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field and 7-for-9 shooting from the foul line. He's been a beast in transition and off of pick and rolls, which he's been since March 12. Since then, he's been averaging 24.8 points, 8.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. But the Knicks were able to limit the other Wizards players.

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.