J.R. Smith is still looking for answers. (Ron Hoskins/NBA/Getty Images)

It's no secret that J.R. Smith can't buy a bucket these days — I mean, we've now even got a Twitter account mockumenting his every misfire. He's seemed lost for the last six games, and while he found a bit of rhythm in the fourth quarter of the New York Knicks' Game 4 loss to the Indiana Pacers, there's a chance that any revived scoring touch is either A) a mirage born of the Pacers calling off the dogs after building a 17-point lead or B) too little and too late, now that the Pacers have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Even after getting something going with 12 points on 5 for 10 shooting in the fourth, Smith is shooting just 28.1 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from 3-point range against Indiana, extending a cold snap that began with a 3-for-14 return from a one-game suspension for flooring Jason Terry with an elbow. Smith knows his poor play has hampered the Knicks' offense, and he accepted responsibility after Tuesday's loss, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times:

“My frustration level with myself is extremely high,” Smith said. “I take the blame for this whole series.” He made reference to the Boston series, adding: “I haven’t been playing myself. I haven’t played my part. I’ve been letting my teammates down. I’ve been letting my coaches down. It doesn’t feel good.”

Smith also acknowledged the stark difference between the sharp all-around ball he played late in the season and what he's provided recently, according to Newsday's Al Iannazzone:

"I have to play more efficient. I have to rebound the ball. One rebound, two rebounds is not enough. Paul George is out there getting 13, 14 rebounds. As a wing player like myself, I'm pretty much playing the same minutes. It's unacceptable. I have to keep him off the glass. I have to keep the other wings off the glass. Overall just play better."

Yes, he does. That's inarguable. What's sticking in my craw, though, is the "this whole series" part.

Sure, the book he signed up for Twitter to promote is called "Eleven Rings," but legendary NBA coach/Detroit Pistons consultant Phil Jackson actually has 13 rings — 11 earned directing the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, and two recognizing his work as a defensive-minded reserve forward on the 1970 and 1973 New York Knicks.

For many NBA types, rings won as a player would represent the pinnacle of achievement in the sport; in Jackson's case, though, they serve as sort of a precursor and accent mark to the story of his later coaching accomplishments. As such — and also because they aren't quite as flashy as what came later — it seems like we don't often see Jackson sporting the rings he won on the floor. One Zen Master Twitter follower wondered what they looked like:

@philjackson11 Phil can you post a picture of your two Knicks championship rings? I've never seen a picture of them.

— Sean (@sthomas141) May 14, 2013

Jackson, now throwing himself wholeheartedly into social media, was happy to oblige, and do so in a pretty perfectly Phil way:

Count the ringzzzzz. (Photo via @PhilJackson11)

"here’s the best I can do…the 2 Knick rings are in the front of the picture," Jackson tweeted.

J.R. Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire missed 16 of 24 shots in Game 4 (Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS – The Knicks attempted to find another gear against the Indiana Pacers’ all-world defense on Tuesday, but the engine repeatedly failed to even turn over for New York. Indiana kept up its stifling defense and opportunistic offense in the team’s 93-82 win in Game 4, sending the series back to New York with the once-favored Knicks down 3-1, just one loss away from the end of the team’s up and down season.

The Pacers managed to pull out the home victory by moving up and down the court more adeptly and confidently than before, as Indiana was able to establish a speedier attack early that sustained throughout the game due to New York’s miserable shooting. Just 10 fast break points for the Pacers in its win, but because the team was able to move into its offense off of all those long rebounds following New York misses, coach Frank Vogel’s crew kept the Knicks at arm’s length all night.

To New York’s credit, the team’s initial spacing looked much better than it did during losses in Games 1 and 3. Carmelo Anthony attempted to initiate more screen and roll basketball, a response to two weeks’ worth of criticism that came to a head when Knicks center Tyson Chandler demanded his team entertain the idea of actually moving the ball following the Game 3 loss. The Knicks tried, the team moved into its once-stagnant offense earlier in possessions and attempted to push during their own transition forays, but the Pacers did brilliant work in getting in the way of calm offensive waters for New York. The Knicks attempted just two fast break shots, and Indiana’s length once again led to a pitiful shooting night for the visitors.

Yep. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBA/Getty Images)

New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith checked into Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers with 7:11 remaining in the first quarter. Sixty seconds later, the struggling Sixth Man of the Year took his first shot of the night, a 27-foot 3-pointer. As has been the case with most of his other shots in this series — and, really, since he elbowed Jason Terry in the chin — he missed.

Moments later, this appeared on Twitter:

Yes.

— Did JR Smith Miss? (@DidJRSmithMiss) May 14, 2013

And a new meme was born.

Steve Ballmer lectures Ryan Seacrest about a phone (Kevork Djansezian/ Getty).

The fight for the Sacramento Kings is reaching a fever pitch. After the NBA's relocation committee unanimously recommended the Kings stay in Sacramento, the group of Seattle owners led by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (along with current Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof) has made efforts to ensure that they end up with the franchise. The Seattle group reportedly has a backup deal in place with the Maloofs to gain a minority stake and eventually move the franchise, in case their existing deal is denied when the Board of Governors votes on it Wednesday. (Never mind that Hansen and Ballmer have proposed so many different plans that it's now unclear exactly what the BOG is voting on.) It appears that Hansen and Ballmer are willing to pursue every possible lead in buying the Kings, and it's unclear what could inspire them to give up their quest.

It appears that those efforts may now be rubbing up against the league's typical standards of comportment and professional respect. As reported by Aaron Bruski for ProBasketballTalk, several league officials are getting tired of Ballmer's manner and methods as he attempts to lock down his purchase of the Kings:

A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Blank on Blank. The PBS Digital series that exhumes lost interviews and animates the conversation offers a cool spin on an 1992 chat between Ann Liguori and legendary big man Wilt Chamberlain about the peaks and valleys of being a giant. (Hat-tip to SB Nation's Tom Ziller.)

PF: SB Nation. With a pivotal Game 5 on tap Tuesday night, Drew Garrison looks at how the Golden State Warriors were able to exploit the San Antonio Spurs' pick-and-roll coverages late in their Game 4 win, and how San Antonio can tighten up their defense to help take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven series.

SF: All Ball. Lang Whitaker revisits "The Reggie Miller Show," a real thing that actually existed, because someone out there knew all along just how enjoyable Reggie would be to watch and listen to on television. (Featuring a young Conan O'Brien!)

Mark Jackson and his votin' finger (Getty Images)

The NBA’s All-Defensive teams were announced on Monday, and no Golden State Warrior received a vote. Pretty standard, especially for a Warriors team that ranked only 14th in defensive efficiency during the regular season, a squad whose best defender (Andrew Bogut) has first team potential, but struggled throughout the regular season with ankle woes.

In his never-ending quest to motivate his young club, Mark Jackson offered up the sort of “us against the world”-technique that has worked so well for him this season. Here’s his response, as quoted by Rusty Simmons at SF Gate:

“Get in line,” Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said before his team flew from the Bay Area to San Antonio for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals. “Our executive finished in seventh place. Steph Curry was home during All-Star week. Joe Lacob is probably the No. 7 owner in the league. Harrison Barnes didn’t get any Rookie of the Year votes. He shouldn’t have been the Rookie of the Year, but he should be First-Team All-Rookie. Jarrett Jack wasn’t the Sixth Man of the Year. The only thing they got right was me.”

Reggie Miller sticks out (Getty Images)

Indiana Pacers legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller made waves earlier in this postseason by calling Game 2 of Indiana and New York’s Eastern Conference semifinal series on the anniversary of his famous “eight points in nine seconds” performance against the Knicks in 1994. Now, with the Pacers attempting to take a firm grasp on the second round series, the TNT analyst is now back at the Pacers’ home arena for his first postseason game in Indiana since Reg’s final game as a pro back in 2005.

On the eve of calling Tuesday’s Game 4, Miller talked with Indianapolis Star scribe Mike Wells to discuss, amongst many other things, the potential for Reggie to take to the Pacers’ front office in some capacity.

Q: You have the life of luxury. You work one day a week during the regular season. But how much do you think about running a team in the front office?

All the time. It would have to be the right situation (and), for me, the only situation I know is Indiana.