MIAMI — After J.R. Smith’s horrid performance last night in a Game 5 loss to the Heat, the Knicks forward retweeted some criticism of his play and hinted the tweets might have helped with his decision on whether to pursue free agency.
“Damn didn’t know this [many] people didn’t want me in #NY might just get what you asking for!” he tweeted, adding the ominous hashtag “#sorrykidz.”
Smith has a $2.5 million player option for next season he can either exercise and remain with the Knicks or decline, which would make him a free agent. The erratic-shooting 2-guard is a valuable sixth man, but he was brutal in the final three games against Miami.
Smith, who, ironically, has a tattoo behind his left ear that reads “swish,” shot just 3-for-15 in the Knicks’ 106-94 Game 5 loss last night, which followed his 5-for-18 brickfest in Game 3 and his 3-for-15 nightmare in Game 4.
In the final three games of the season, Smith threw up 48 shots. And hit 11.
“You can’t make shots every night,” he said. “Just gotta go back to the lab this summer and work hard.”
In the series, Smith launched more shots than any Knick other than Carmelo Anthony — and to be fair, Smith’s talent coupled with the Knicks’ injuries made that a necessity — yet he shot only 31.6 percent (24-for-76) from the field. The question is whether his terrible performance will impact his decision to opt out or stay put.
On one hand, it seems difficult to believe three poor games will significantly impact Smith’s long-term market value. That said, he also might believe playing in New York carries weight (big stage, etc.). He’s also a New Jersey native.
“I haven’t given it any thought. I’ve got to talk to a lot of people. We’ll see what happens,” Smith said. “I was just sitting here looking at my jersey and just thinking about what could happen. But hopefully I’m here. I love New York. I love the coaches. The whole franchise has been great to me. I love the players.”
Will the Twitter criticism spur Smith to leave? Maybe, though that would seem overly impulsive. And to be fair, later last night, Smith also tweeted, “Damn I’m glad I don’t care what y’all say! Lmao!”
Meanwhile, Smith’s shooting partner in crime, forward Steve Novak, might also be a goner. The free-agent-to-be was superb during the regular season, but last night he was irrelevant, taking no shots in 12 minutes. For the series, he only took nine shots in five games, scoring just 12 points and saying last night, “They just didn’t give me a lot of space.”
As for his future, Novak raved about the Knicks, saying, “There’s no place I would rather play than New York.”
Despite their playoff struggles, if Smith and Novak depart, they will be major losses. The Knicks’ bench could be completely reshuffled since Mike Bibby, Landry Fields and Jared Jeffries are also free agents.
mark.hale@nypost.com