By Maurice Bobb

Guess Rihanna wasn’t trying to get at that. While most New York Knicks fans are blaming J.R. Smith and his shooting woes for their team being down 3-1 to the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, something that the enigmatic guard has owned up to pressures, Rihanna has another theory, labeling the Sixth Man of the Year a “desert thirsty ni—a” on Instagram, blaming his subpar play on his constant clubbing.

The Pop Diva, who is known to sit courtside at NBA games, aired out Smith in response to a Knick fan’s accusations that she was to blame for Smith’s god-awful 28% shooting against Indy. Smith had been linked to the Bajan beauty after he was seen partying with her at her tour after party after the Knicks netted their only victory of the series in Game 2.

After @peruvian_gawd called out the Unapologetic chanteuse on IG, he posted a screengrab of her incendiary response. “f--k you and your wack ass team!!,” Rihanna wrote. “Nobody don’t want that desert thirsty n----a!!He fuckin up cus his ass be hungover from clubbing every night during playoffs!! So your issue ain’t with rasshole me.”

Love unrequited is bad enough, but to be called desert thirsty? That’s a rejection for the ages.  Let’s just hope Rih Rih's snub doesn’t affect Smith’s play because the Knicks will need him to be firing on all cylinders if they want to avoid elimination in Game 5.