Knicks-Heat Preview

By TIM REYNOLDS
Posted May 08 2012 4:44PM

MIAMI (AP) If the numbers are to be believed, then the New York Knicks' season is about to end. Of the other 101 teams to lose the first three games in a best-of-seven NBA series, none ultimately prevailed and only 10 managed to stave off elimination twice.

That doesn't mean the Miami Heat are leaving anything to chance.

For the past two days, the Heat have stewed over and stared at the tape of what went wrong at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, when a litany of things - 11 missed free throws, 16 missed 3-pointers, two blown double-digit leads, giving up a 19-2 run in the third quarter and having all that capped by a botched play at the end of regulation - added up to an 89-87 loss that extended the Knicks' season.

When the teams' Eastern Conference first-round series resumes Wednesday night, the Heat expect to be sharper.

"You carry it with you 24 hours, you go over what needs to be done, you correct it and you get rid of it," Heat forward LeBron James said. "That's not saying that you don't care about it but you've got to move on to the next game. You can't let it linger too much and carry that game into Game 5. So Game 4 for us is over. We're preparing for Game 5 now."

Miami leads the best-of-seven 3-1, and needs only a home win Wednesday for a ticket to the East semifinals.

According to STATS LLC, seven teams rallied from down 3-0 in a series before losing in six games, and other three extended things all the way to Game 7 before succumbing.

"That's the exciting part for me," said Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, who carried New York with 41 points - the most from anyone yet in this postseason - in Game 4. "I mean, history is definitely not on our side right now. But we believe and we're confident that we want to go down there and win this basketball game and bring it back here. We get this one, who knows what can happen."

Of course, not only are the Knicks dealing with long odds, they're doing so with a short bench.

Iman Shumpert tore a knee ligament in Game 1, and Baron Davis left Game 4 with a catastrophic knee injury - dislocated kneecap, two torn ligaments and a torn tendon. Shumpert won't play for months, Davis is out at least a year, and the Knicks ended speculation Tuesday by saying Jeremy Lin's recovery from knee surgery will not allow him to play in the rest of the series against Miami regardless of how long it goes.

"If he's not ready to go based on how he's feeling, we've got to respect that and move on," Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said.

Amare Stoudemire returned for Game 4 after slicing open his left hand by striking a metal-and-glass case holding a fire extinguisher moments after the Knicks dropped the second game of the series.

At the time, the odds of him and the Knicks playing again in Miami didn't look good. But here they are, and Stoudemire spent part of Tuesday saying how his team has a chance "to do something special."

"I just don't want to look at that fire extinguisher at all," Stoudemire said. "But getting a win in Miami would be huge for us."

The Knicks know exactly what to expect from the Heat. The Heat can't say the same about the Knicks, given how the absence of Shumpert and now Davis will lead to probably some unconventional lineup choices by Woodson at times.

"They'll bring something different so we've got to be prepared, in a sense like it's a regular-season game," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "It'll be a little tougher. Five games in, everyone pretty much knows each other's offensive package a little bit. You can throw a couple wrinkles in but you kind of get to the point now where you start to know what guys are going to do."

So it'll likely be Mike Bibby starting at the point for the Knicks in Game 5, which happened only four times in the regular season. Bibby was 6-for-40 - 15 percent - from the field in fourth quarters this season, including playoffs, before hitting a 3-pointer that gave New York an 84-81 lead with 1:23 left Sunday.

If Davis hadn't gotten hurt, Bibby might never have gotten the chance to make that shot, especially if Woodson had gone with his instinct to have J.R. Smith at the point down the stretch.

"Then I never would have seen the big shot that Bibby hit, if I had done that," Woodson said.

That shot was almost forgotten when Sunday's game ended, first because of a shot-clock-winding-down 3-pointer by Anthony over Shane Battier with 54 seconds left to play that gave New York the lead, and then how Wade lost the ball briefly before missing a 3 of his own on the final play of the game.

"Without getting too descriptive on what we were looking for, at the end of the day we had an open lane on that drive," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We've seen Dwyane make those plays time and time again over the years. We'll live with that. In the paint he lost the dribble, but it was a pretty good opportunity to attack the rim. But it became a broken play and we know what happened from there."

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AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.

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Follow Tim Reynolds on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ByTimReynolds

Heat advance to face Indiana, topping NY 106-94

By TIM REYNOLDS
Posted May 10 2012 3:43AM

MIAMI (AP) LeBron James was still on the court, enjoying the moment after ousting the New York Knicks, when the first questions came about what's next for the Miami Heat.

For one day, Indiana can wait.

Having Thursday off from practice is Miami's first playoff prize, and although a five-game win over the Knicks might have seemed easy, the reigning Eastern Conference champions insisted afterward that it was more grinding than it appeared.

James had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade both scored 19 points and the Heat beat the short-handed Knicks 106-94 in Game 5 of an East first-round series Wednesday night. Miami will host the Pacers in Game 1 of the East semifinals on Sunday afternoon.

"Even though it was a five-game series," Wade said, "it was a very tough series."

For the Heat, it was only the first step. They have one goal - getting back to the finals and winning it all - and that was likely why even beating the longtime rival Knicks prompted, at most, a subdued celebration.

"We do not take this for granted," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "This was a tough series. We feel very good about moving on and it'll only get tougher from here."

Carmelo Anthony scored 35 points for the Knicks, including a spinning jumper over James at the end of the third quarter that pulled New York within 81-67. It was far from being enough to stave off an all-too-familiar playoff result for Anthony, part of that 2003 draft class that also yielded James, Bosh and Wade.

Anthony has played 54 postseason games, being part of wins only 17 times. A misleading stat for certain - it's hardly all on him - and no shortage of people in the Heat organization interrupted their celebrating of a series-clincher to tip their caps Anthony's way afterward.

"We fought, under the circumstances," Anthony said. "I'm not one to make any excuses for anything. ... But Miami, they're a tough defensive team. They stick to what their schemes are."

Head-to-head, Anthony and James both scored 139 points in the series. James shot 48 percent from the field, Anthony 42 percent. James averaged 6.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists, Anthony averaged 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

"It was fun, man," James said. "He's one of the most competitive players I've ever played against in a playoff series."

Amare Stoudemire scored 14 points, Landry Fields and J.R. Smith both added 12, Mike Bibby had 10 and Tyson Chandler grabbed 11 rebounds for New York, which is 1-8 in playoff games since Anthony and Stoudemire became teammates.

"Miami is a very good team," Stoudemire said. "You have to give credit to them."

Stoudemire fouled out with 4:48 left, and the Knicks put together one more run with hopes of extending the season. New York cut the margin to 11 points four times in a 2-minute span, but Miami answered every time, the last of those a 3-pointer by Shane Battier with 54 seconds left.

That sent the white seat covers flying in all corners of the arena, the fans knowing it was finally over.

"There's a lot of pride that takes place in this kind of series," Wade said.

James had 13 points on only six field-goal attempts by halftime, Wade shook off a scoreless first quarter with 12 in the second, and Miami went into the break leading 55-44.

The margin was less than 10 points for only 90 seconds of the third quarter. Stoudemire went to the bench with his fifth foul with 6:41 left in the third, and Miami went on an 11-2 spurt not long after to all but seal the outcome. It was 67-58 when Fields made two free throws with 4:49 left in the quarter - and then the Heat's "Big Three" needed just 3 minutes to blow the game open.

Bosh and Wade combined for six points in that flurry, James the other five, including a 21-footer with 1:29 left to put Miami up 78-60.

"We stress moving the ball," Bosh said. "We had some fantastic possessions."

For the Knicks, it was not a fantastic finish.

New York's season started with great expectations. Not long after the lockout ended the Knicks acquired Chandler from Dallas, a move made possible by using the amnesty clause on Chauncey Billups.

Those moves were expected. Just about everything else that happened was not. From the firing of coach Mike D'Antoni to the emergence of Jeremy Lin before he was sidelined by a knee injury, the Knicks had a roller-coaster ride that continued with a debilitating series of injuries against Miami.

Rookie guard Iman Shumpert was lost in the third quarter of Game 1 to a torn knee ligament, Stoudemire sliced his left hand after taking out his frustrations on a metal-and-glass fire extinguisher case after a Game 2 loss, and Baron Davis shredded his knee so badly in Game 4 that he is expected to be out a year - at least.

"I thought we played well in spurts," Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said. "Our guys got a short taste of what playoff basketball's about. It's something this summer we've got to sit and think about and hopefully get ready for next season."

He didn't put any extra emphasis on the word "hopefully," but he could have. One of New York's first orders of business this offseason will likely be deciding if Woodson will be back on the sideline, as many expect.

"Woody's done a heck of a job with that team," Spoelstra said.

Notes: Miami went 7-1 against the Knicks this season, including playoffs. The Heat won three of four games against Indiana this season. ... James had seven points, five assists and zero field goals in the first quarter. Only two other players (Billups in 2007 and Jerryd Bayless in 2011, both in fourth quarters) had done that in any quarter since James entered the league, according to STATS LLC. ... Rapper Rick Ross was among those courtside.

Notebook: Heat 106, Knicks 94

Posted Wednesday May 9, 2012 10:54PM

By Shandel Richardson, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Miami Heat defeated the New York Knicks 106-94 Wednesday to win the series 4-1.

The Heat advance to play the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The series begins Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat were led by LeBron James , who finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Guard Dwyane Wade and forward Chris Bosh each scored 19

After falling to the Knicks in Game 4, the Heat made sure the series would not return to New York by producing one of their most balanced offensive efforts of the season. They had four players in double-figures (Mario Chalmers), and two others with at least nine points (Mike Miller and Shane Battier).

Although the Knicks rallied from an 11-point deficit to take Game 4, the Heat this time kept on the pressure. They led by double-digits the entire second half.

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 35 points

QUOTABLE: "We feel good about moving on and it will only get tougher from here ..."This next series, I'm sure, it will feel like it's played in a cage, it'll be that physical. We'll see what adjustments we have to make."
-- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra

THE STAT: The Heat made 29 of 34 free throws. It was a sign they were aggressive in attacking the basket, which is when Miami plays its best basketball.

TURNING POINT: The Knicks kept things close in the first half, trailing 44-40 at one point. The Heat then closed with an 11-4 run to push the lead to double-digits. It basically eliminated any momentum the Knicks had built.

QUOTABLE II: "We had opportunities but you have to give the Miami Heat credit because every time we made a run and cut the lead to ten or eleven points, they made plays coming back the other way. That is what great teams do."
-- Knicks coach Mike Woodson

HOT: James put together another solid all around game. His efficiency was most impressive. He scored 13 points from the foul line.

NOT: J.R. Smith finished 3 of 15 from the field. With the Knicks already short-handed, production was needed from the bench. Smith wasn't the answer.

GOOD MOVE: After Mike Bibby got loose for eight first-quarter points, the Heat finally made an effort to account for him. Swingman Mike Miller defended Bibby much of the second half, slowing his production.

BAD MOVE: Amar'e Stoudemire picked up his fifth foul with 6:19 left in the third quarter. The Knicks chances of extending the series ended there. Playing without Stoudemire during that stretch was too tough to overcome.

UP NEXT: Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

• Knicks: Davis, Lin, Shumpert
• Heat: Curry, Harris

• Knicks: Anthony, Fields
• Heat: James

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #19 James Capers, #30 John Goble
• Attendance: 19754
• Duration: 2:23