The interplay between Smith and the Philips Arena crowd was lively throughout the night. Smith, an Atlanta native who played his first nine NBA seasons with the Hawks, was booed loudly whenever he touched the ball. The catcalls grew louder in the third quarter, after Smith drained a 3-pointer that rattled around the rim several times before dropping in. Smith then shushed the crowd by placing his finger over his lips as the Hawks called timeout.

via Houston Rockets forward Josh Smith calls Atlanta Hawks fans bandwagoners – ESPN.

“I mean, those fans are fickle, very fickle and bandwagoners,” Smith said. “It really doesn’t mean anything to me.”

Why has Smith become such a target for our rage? He really has one flaw, and that’s his long-range shooting, but still. He’s a fine human being and teammate, an athletic defender who fills up a stat sheet. Why must the wrath be so prominent? Are we just desperate to hate?

Atlanta: Smith’s hometown, too.

(Yet a true douche like Kobe is adored by LA – that’s the asshole we should be raining boos on.)