The Knicks are on fire right now, and punishing the KG and Rondo-less Celtics from beyond the arc. First half alone they hit 11 of 17 triples. Carmelo has 18 already, and the red hot J.R. Smith is handing out the pipe. In an ironic twist, Mr. Smith has 11 points at the half, none of which have come from three. In fact, he hasn’t even attempted one yet. Apparently his new strategy of getting to the rim is for real, because the old J.R. would be on this 3-point train like a boxcar hobo running from some lady he just stole a pie from.

It was a buzzer-beater-heavy night in college basketball – Illinois stunning Indiana, UCLA edging Washington (and Shabazz Muhammad not looking thrilled about it). But for the best buzzer-beater of the night, you’ll have to look to the relatively-unheralded MAAC.

As the clock struck zero on a game tied at 57, UCLA’s Larry Drew nailed a step-back jumper for the win over Washington. The crowd went crazy. Larry Drew went crazy. His teammates went crazy. There was a dogpile. There was also UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad, who didn’t sprint towards Drew when the ball went in. He hesitated, then walked. Right past the dogpile, too.

It’s been a busy night in The Association so far, but whenever we get a chance to highlight LeBron James missing a buzzer beater, and being upstaged by an unsung rookie, WE’RE GONNA DO IT!

J.R. Smith does incredible things and incredibly stupid things. The Knicks beat the Bobcats last night 100-98, and J.R. Smith did his best to be incredible and incredibly stupid on consecutive plays.

Nuggest swingman Rudy Fernandez had one of the most athletic and creative plays you’ll ever see: a half-court, buzzer-beating tip-in that, for whatever reason, went largely under the radar over the weekend. Well, it happened, and it was spectacular. Video after the jump.