The New York Knicks were in danger of being swept by the Miami Heat on Sunday. After the Heat have-been-dominating the Knicks throughout the first three games of the series. Considering all-of-the injuries the Knicks have sustained, it’s not a surprise how poorly they have performed. The Heat had won effortlessly, until Sunday evening, when Carmelo Anthony put the team on his back and put up 41 points.
Melo had an exceptional game from the field, shooting over 50% and executing on defense, as well. However, it was Carmelo who missed two critical free throws in the closing moments of the game that allowed Miami a chance to win the game. Amari Stoudemire also put up respectable numbers, even with the injury to his left hand. Thankfully, it wasn’t his shooting hand and he was able to-provide decent numbers to help the Knicks win. Just days from stitching up his hand, he put up 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Amari definitely needs to get his priorities in check though, because he had the same careless behavior last year in the playoffs. Before a playoff game Amari attempted to jump as high as he could and touch the top of the back-board. In the process, he injured his hand and ended up missing some key games. All of this because he had to-show off in warm-ups for his own teammates.
Stoudemire is already known for his injury prone seasons and with his careless behavior, it only increased the odds of being injured. The Knicks are also without rookie point guard Jeremy Lin, who probably will not return until next season. Iman Shumpert was-injured-in-game-1 and will not return till next season. The Knicks will miss his defensive abilities and gritty play on the court. The chances of New York coming back in this series are-basically nil and I really doubt that Miami will allow it.
Essentially, the Heat really have to-stink up the joint in order for the Knicks to-get back into this series. The Heat struggled down the stretch of the season due to a lack of production from their bench and it was a prominent issue. However, so far in the playoffs they have played fairly well and if the Knicks have any chance at all they must change that.
In conclusion, on Wednesday night the Knicks travel to Miami to-try and extend the series another game. If they can pull it off, they would return back home for game 6 and at that point it would be Miami who would be in the hot seat. The Knicks may lose the series this year, but next year hopes are much higher for the team. With a much-needed training camp, they will be able to-build on their chemistry and learn to-gel as a team. The Heat might have the edge now, but next year they better be-prepared for a much different Knicks team.
