On-Court Levity Puts J. R. Smith Back on the Defensive J. R. Smith had no reason to do it, but that had never stopped him before. Smith has drawn the eyeballs of the N.B.A. league office once again, this time by reaching down to untie the laces on Shawn Marion's left sneaker during the Knicks" victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. It was an inconsequential play - both players were awaiting a free-throw attempt - but it was widely considered an unsportsmanlike act, and Smith spent some time on Monday defending himself on Twitter. Coach Mike Woodson was not amused by the episode. Before Tuesday's game against the Pistons, he said: "He shouldn't be doing stuff like that. I'm going to talk to him a little more about it when I get in there. His focus should just be on playing basketball. That's what it's about, and those are things you just don't do. You think you've seen it all, and something creeps in. Off-the-court drama is nothing new for Smith, who started the season by serving a five-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy. In November, he again incurred the wrath of the N.B.A., which fined him $25,000, for threatening the Pistons" Brandon Jennings on Twitter. A refresher: Jennings had questioned the legitimacy of Chris Smith's employment by the Knicks. J. R. Smith, who is Chris's older brother, responded by writing that he might send some of his "street homies" to Detroit, presumably to confront Jennings. Smith punctuated the post with the hashtag #DeadSerious. Chris Smith was cut by the Knicks last week to clear a roster spot for Jeremy Tyler. J. R. Smith's season has been a slog, and he was averaging 11.5 points and shooting a career-low 34.8 percent entering Tuesday's game. Against the Rockets last Friday, he launched an ill-advised (and errant) 3-point shot with about 20 seconds remaining in a tie game. The Knicks could have held the ball and taken the final shot, but Smith had other plans. The Knicks wound up losing after the Rockets made two free throws. Smith later said he thought the Knicks were trailing by 2 points. Smith, who won the N.B.A."s Sixth Man Award last season, had off-season knee surgery after signing a three-year contract worth $18 million. He has not been the same player since.