NBA

Smith fails to help Knicks replace Stoudemire

In Amar’e Stoudemire’s absence, the Knicks needed someone to fill the scoring void.

J.R. Smith stepped up to accept the challenge — and failed miserably.

Smith, who tied his second-most field goal attempts of the season, couldn’t have picked a worse night for an off night. He shot 5-of-18 (27.8 percent), including misses on all five 3-pointers, for his series low of 12 points, in the Knicks’ 87-70 loss in Game 3 against the Heat last night at Madison Square Garden.

“Today we definitely beat ourselves,” said Smith, whose 18 attempts were his highest in 34 postseason games, over six playoff appearances. “That’s the most frustrating part, when you’re up 10 and you take bad shots. We started taking bad shots, got in a bad rhythm offensively and it led to them on their offensive transition and getting open shots. We definitely settled [for shots], but we took what the defense gave us. I was getting my looks off the dribble, but they weren’t falling.”

Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said: “J.R. struggled. He just didn’t make shots tonight. You have to credit their defense. They played solid all the way through.”

Although Smith helped create the silence that eventually engulfed the Garden, The 26-year-old guard ignited the crowd early on. With the Heat leading 19-10, Smith scored six points as the Knicks tied the game by ending the first quarter on a 9-0 run. But after opening 2-of-3 from the field, Smith went into a 1-for-7 tailspin in the second quarter, which included a stretch of six straight misses.

Outside of two dazzling dunks, Smith was relegated to the perimeter, settling for a slew of fadeaways and long 2-pointers. The Knicks’ abysmal offense, which shot under 32 percent from the field, showed little more than a playground understanding of the game, opting for too little ball movement and too much isolation.

“Our strong-side offense, that’s all we’re using right now,” said Smith, who began the lockout-shortened season in China and joined the Knicks on Feb. 17. “We’re not looking for a weak side. We’re playing on one side of the court. We can’t do this against this team. They’re too good. We gotta do a better job of moving the ball.”

As poorly as Smith shot, he was even more disgusted with his inability to get his teammates involved. Smith, who had averaged 3.5 assists in the series coming into last night, had none, while committing two turnovers.

“I have to do a better job getting guys better shots, getting Steve [Novak] acclimated in a game,” Smith said of Novak, who only attempted two shots last night, missing both. “It’s mostly my fault. Whenever I get the ball I’m looking for him. He’s a sharpshooter, so we know they’re gonna key on him, but we gotta keep him in the game.”

Smith was dismayed, feeling responsible for the Knicks’ NBA-record 13th straight postseason loss. But he seemed confident the Knicks couldn’t replicate such an atrocious shooting game again if they tried.

“My spirit’s high,” Smith said. “I believe we can beat them and I hope everybody else feels the same. We gotta win. That’s all there is to it.”

Something so simple never sounded so difficult.