Knicks Guard J.R. Smith Airballs Free Throw, To Delight of Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler (Video)

by NESN Staff on Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 12:13PM

You might not be able to tell by his numbers, but J.R. Smith is having arguably the best season of his career. The ultra-talented shooting guard has long been known for his wildness and unpredictability, but this year he has shown at least some discipline in helping the Knicks rise to the top of the Atlantic Division.

Smith is still capable of moments like the one that occurred Monday, though. Early in the second quarter of New York’s win over the Pistons, Smith stepped to the foul line for a pair of free throws. The first shot was nothing but net, which is usually a good thing, but in this case the ball didn’t go through the hoop first.

Announcer Mike Breen was caught off guard by the miss. The Knicks’ play-by-play man interrupted himself by saying, “Did he just throw up and airball?” Color announcer Walt Frazier tried to claim it was a “swish.” On the Knicks bench, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler got in a good laugh, but Knicks coach Mike Woodson was not amused.

Check out Smith’s airball in the video below.