NBA PLAYOFF PICTURE

Cavaliers G Smith suspended for two playoff games

The Sports Xchange

April 27, 2015 at 4:21 pm.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5). Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA on Monday suspended Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith for the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The league also suspended Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk for the first game of next season.

The suspensions are the result of incidents during Cleveland’s 101-93 victory over Boston on Sunday. The Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs and the Cavaliers moved on to the conference semifinals, where they will face the Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks.

The league also upgraded Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins’ Flagrant Foul 1 to a Flagrant Foul 2 and fined him $15,000. Perkins’ foul came with 1:44 remaining in the second quarter.

Smith was issued a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected with 10:24 left in the third quarter after he hit Celtics forward Jae Crowder in the head with his arm.

Olynyk was suspended after he became entangled with Cavaliers forward Kevin Love and yanked his arm down with 5:22 left in the first quarter. Love suffered a dislocated shoulder and will miss the entire Eastern Conference semifinals.

“I thought it was a bush-league play,” Love said after the game. “I have no doubt in my mind that he did it on purpose.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Olynyk told the Boston Herald. “I would never intentionally hurt Kevin or anyone else. He locked my arm up, I locked up his as we were fighting for a loose ball. You lock up arms all the time in this league.”

Olynyk said he tried to contact Love but was unsuccessful.