A little over a decade ago the Miami Heat and New York Knicks played against each other four-consecutive times in the playoffs, from 1997-2000. Now, the Knicks with Carmelo Anthony and the Heat with LeBron James and company, the rivalry is back.
The game on Sunday night between the Heat and Knicks marks the first meeting this season between Melo and LeBron and their 13th all-time. Both players entered the Association a la the number one and three overall picks in the 2003 draft. In fact, four of the top five picks from that draft class were playing in tonight’s game, including Chris Bosh, the number four pick and Dwayne Wade the fifth overall pick.
The classic match-up between James and Anthony pits two of the league’s leading scorers at 26.2 points per game and 25.3 points per game against one another. Other story lines heading into the game included: How would Carmelo and Amare play together in just their 3rd game together? They’re 1-1 heading into the game at American Airlines Arena.
Would Miami’s bench provide enough offense to keep the game close? Miami’s bench is the league worst in scoring, averaging a little more than 22 points per game.
Would Carmelo’s performance be hindered by inflammation in his left elbow that was aggravated in the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers? He wore a padded sleeve to alleviate some of the pain.
The game got under way with an All-Star weekend-like ambiance. The Heat won the tip and turned the ball over on a shot clock violation. After that, the game got fancy with plenty of all-star highlights. LeBron James throwing a no-look, two-handed over-head pass to a teammate, an Amare Stoudemire rim-rattling jam via Melo assist, and Dwayne Wade lobbing an alley-oop to LeBron James all happened within the first six minutes of the game.
The first quarter came to a close with Miami leading New York, 34-23. James and Anthony scored twelve points a piece. Anthony’s elbow didn’t seem to be prohibiting his ability to put up shots as he went 4-8 from the field. Stoudemire chipped in six points of his own. In addition to James, Bosh and Wade both contributed 6 points in the quarter.
The second quarter started to heat up for the Knicks in the final 4:25. They went on a 16-0 run to close out the first half. The cherry on top was a 3-pointer banked in at the buzzer by Bill Walker. The shot got Spike Lee out of his seat, who was in attendance cheering on his new-look Knicks. The Knicks took a 52-51 lead into the locker room despite the Heat leading by as much as 15 at one point.
The big 3 for the Knicks scored 33 of the team’s 52 first half points. Anthony led with 16 while Stoudemire scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds, and Billups put up nine points. However, the Knicks struggled in the third quarter as the only scored 13 points, which ties a season-low.
Heading into the 4th quarter with the Heat leading 66-65, Anthony’s elbow was without question, a non-issue. He and LeBron had put on a show. Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade had combined for 30 points heading into the final quarter. But the pivotal shot would be made in the face of Dwayne Wade by not Carmelo Anthony, but Chauncy Billups.
One of the least talked about of the Big 3, Mr. Big Shot, hit a 3-pointer well beyond the arc to give the Knicks an 85-84 lead with one minute left to play. The game that had an all-star like feel to it would come down to the wire in a game that seemed more like a first round Eastern Conference playoff game.
Billups wasn’t done. He stole a pass intended for Mike Miller and hit a slashing Shawne Williams on the break who was fouled and made both free throws, extending the Knicks lead to 87-84. After LeBron hit two free throws on the offensive end, the Knicks pivotal possession came with 12.1 seconds on the game clock and three-seconds on the shot clock. Bill Walker bobbled the inbounds pass, leading to a turnover. The Heat would have a chance to win it all, so who would the final shot go to?
Out of the timeout, with 12.1 seconds left, LeBron James made a quick move to drive the lane on Carmelo Anthony. Amare Stoudemire came over from the weak side and was the sultan of swat to King James’ lay-up. After two more Shawne Williams free throws, the Heat would have one final attempt. Again, LeBron tried his luck with a deep 3-point basket and it rimmed out.
The Heat would lose to the Knicks by the final score of 91-86. Carmelo Anthony finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, and two assists. Chauncy Billups stepped up in the fourth, and finished with 16 points and four rebounds.
LeBron finished with 27 points, Bosh had 20 and Wade added 12. With the loss, the Heat drop to 43-17, tied with the Chicago Bulls in the loss column. Since the trade deadline, the Knicks are 2-1 with Carmelo Anthony and Chauncy Billups. With the win the Knicks improved to 30-27 overall. They’ll be tested by another tough eastern conference opponent when they travel to Orlando on Tuesday night to play Dwight Howard and the fourth place Magic.
Leave a Reply