NBANFL

Could J.R. Smith Threaten Victor Cruz’s Standing As Sports’ Preeminent Salsa Dancer?

You might have heard how J.R. Smith beat the Bobcats with a buzzer-beating jumper last night, and managed to get it done in the most distinctly J.R. Smith way possible. But that wasn’t all: his celebration of said buzzer-beating jumper was also very J.R. As the Knicks walked off the court:

While doing a little dance after hitting a big shot is exactly how J.R. Smith would celebrate, it’s not uniquely his, though: as you might have noticed, he’s doing just about the same salsa the Giants’ Victor Cruz does after touchdowns. Cruz, of course, contends that his version is superior:

“We got to go to the drawing board a little bit, it was a little stiff at the end,” Cruz joked. “We’ll get that squared away.”

But of course Cruz would say that – the salsa is his thing. Smith, whether he’s his friend or not, is infringing on his turf now. Cruz isn’t alone in sports salsa-ing. His status is threatened. And if Smith makes his version of the celebratory salsa dance better and weirder (not a bad bet)? Cruz is the one who’ll have to go back to the drawing board. Let’s have a look at his salsa.

So: is the salsa quality gap as large as Cruz might have you believe? Could we be in for a spirited rivalry for top sports salsa-ing honors? If Smith shakes his hips a little more… this could be close. Cruz will have originality on his side, but the Great New York Salsa Wars have just begun. For now, Smith, in our opinion, still has some work to do to catch up to not only Cruz for salsa-ing supremacy, but Chris Duhon, for best NBA dancing…

Follow @glennrd