In that game back on Dec. 6, without Anthony, the Knicks made 18 3-pointers in 44 attempts. When you shoot like that, you won’t lose. The Knicks had four different players make at least three 3-pointers, and if that’s something they can consistently do against Miami, then they will be able to challenge them.
But with LeBron James playing the best basketball of his career and the Heat having seven different players shooting 35 percent or better from beyond the arc, it is a tall order. Since the last time these teams have squared off, the Heat have gone 29-9 and will bring a season-high 12-game win streak to the American Airlines Arena on Friday night when they host the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the early part of the season, Wade looked every bit like a player who was coming off of arthroscopic knee surgery and one who recently celebrated his 31st birthday. Against the Knicks, he scored just 13 points on 3-of-13 shooting. Today, he looks more like “Flash.” On the Heat’s current win streak, he’s averaging 22.6 points per game and shooting 54 percent from the field.
These teams have gone in opposite directions since their last meeting, and with the Heat and Knicks sitting at first and second in the Eastern Conference, respectively, it’s easy to look past their Friday night matchups in anticipation of Sunday’s New York City showdown.
You also can’t help but to wonder if the Knicks will be able to recreate their formula for success. Though the MVP chatter for Anthony and the Sixth Man of the Year talk for Smith has died down, each are playing good basketball. But as Felton rounds back into shape, Shumpert regains his health, Kidd searches for his fountain of youth and Stoudemire continues his renaissance as a post-finisher, it wouldn’t be wise to expect these Knicks to beat the Heat in a playoff series. And Sunday should be an interesting preview.
The Kenyon Martin acquisition will help replace some of what the Knicks lost with Wallace, but not the 3-point shooting and certainly not the leadership.
I was in Oklahoma City when the Heat embarrassed the Thunder on national television and it’s obvious that, when motivated, the Heat play at another level, all together.
Though they are on a 12-game winning streak, the Heat coast through many games against lesser caliber opponents and flip the switch and overpower them in the end. The latest example of that came last Sunday when the Heat hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Heat trailed by eight points with about five minutes remaining, flipped the ignition switch and flew right past the Cavs, winning 109-105.
It’s reminiscent of Shaquille O’Neal and the second title he and his Los Angeles Lakers captured.
After going 67-15 in the 1999-00 season, the Lakers went 15-8 in the playoffs and even had to win two elimination games. Both the Sacramento Kings (first round) and the Portland Trailblazers (conference finals) pushed the Lakers to the brink. They eventually won the title by beating the Indiana Pacers in six games.
The following year, the Lakers collectively decided that they would relax during the regular season and save themselves for big games and the playoffs. The team was 48-26 and then, with eight games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers flipped the switch. They won their next 19 games—11 of them playoff games—and put together the best playoff run in NBA history.
Yes, that 2000-01 Lakers team won their final eight regular season games and finished the season 56-26. They then swept the first three rounds of the playoffs before losing Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals to the Philadelphia 76ers.
They then rebounded and defeated the Sixers four straight times.
The Lakers won 23 of their final 24 games that season and put together the best postseason run in NBA history by going 15-1. They captured the NBA title. And the NBA probably hasn’t seen as impressive of a 25-game run as that since.
The Knicks are a good team and the Knicks have a lot of potential. But what they are now is a different team than they were back in early December.
As for the Heat, they look just like the 2000-01 Lakers. They’ve made leading the conference look quite easy. Despite entering play on Friday 6 1/2 games ahead of the Knicks for the first seed in the conference, the Heat are on cruise control and can flip the switch at any moment and get up for any game.
That’s why Sunday’s showdown should be epic. The Knicks, still struggling with their reinvention, will be facing a Heat team hungry for revenge and looking to reassert its dominance as the conference’s top team. We’ll probably see the same team that showed up in Oklahoma City a few weeks ago.
The Heat have been looking forward to returning to the Garden for a short while now.
They will be motivated, and that is scary for the Knicks.
Moke Hamilton is a Senior NBA Columnist for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MokeHamilton
“Stoudemire, as great as he has been offensively, can’t make up for the lost defensive proficiency of Wallace.” is a point which is just silly. Shumpert is back, Chandler plays tough defense and Stoudemire is showing that he can play well with both Chandler and Anthony on the floor. What’s missing is the ball movement and defensive intensity, but it’s growing slowly but surely. The Knicks have what the Heat don’t: solid defensive and offensive center play. If Kidd revives, and with both Felton and Prigioni at the guard slots, they will also be better at point. Then we leave Carmelo to battle Lebron. It’s not a sure thing, but the odds are a lot better than Hamilton is giving….
Article should be renamed “Defending my silly basketball question with out of context logic.” Carmelo have no business worrying about a 7 game series against Miami at this point in time. So how does avoiding a question about a meaningless regular season game lead to a topic like this? At this point and time, the only thing the Knicks should be worried about is collecting wins, and their next opportunity to one is against Washington. So this analysis about Miami being a different team…a better team…is all for naught. Nothing that happens between Miami and New York in the regular season means anything…everyone (except apparently Mr. Hamilton) can clearly see this
While its true the Knicks have a lot to prove still, its silly to write things such as, the Knicks are “kidding themselves”. Why shouldn’t they operate under the idea that they can beat the Heat? Otherwise, why play the games at all. Bottom line, and something I think all the analysts out there seem to be glossing over, is that there is still a lot of basketball to be played. The NBA season has a lot of ups and downs, and its entirely possible still that the Knicks can bounce back to their previous balanced and efficient ways. It’s not as if they’ve fallen off entirely since then.