Knicks Turn Off the Heat in Miami
And the Oscar goes to…
In a stunning upset last night in Miami, “Melodrama” was upstaged by the action/adventure Knick joyride, “Beach Slap,” a cautionary tale of courage, heart and the enduring spirit of man. The show concluded with Amar’e Stoudemire rejecting “King James’ Speech” on Oscar night, and the raucous crowd in attendance at American Airlines Arena loved every minute of it.
Admittedly, I’m being a tad melodramatic myself, but I can’t help but wonder if the Knicks’ 91-86 victory over the Miami Heat reinforces the idea that a new era in Big Apple basketball is upon us.
Sure, it was just a regular season victory, and in the greater scheme of things, the Knicks aren’t championship contenders just yet, but winning a game like this – on the road, in prime-time – suggests that heights once deemed unreachable are just over the horizon.
The game, dubbed by some as “Star Wars,” saw the Knicks rely just as heavily on their gritty supporting cast as their Big-3 of Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. In fact, it was Coach Mike D’Antoni’s surprise tweak of the starting lineup, inserting F Shawne Williams in favor of C Ronny Turiaf, that sparked a level defensive intensity not seen since Heat President Pat Riley once manned the sidelines at The Garden.
Williams blanketed Dwayne Wade, especially in crunch time, holding him to just 12 points on 5 of 15 shooting, a far cry from his career 28.8 career p.p.g. average vs. the Knicks. Williams also connected on all four of his free throw attempts, a seemingly benign accomplishment, except that the attempts took place very late in the 4th quarter, with the game most decidedly on the line.
Bill Walker joined Williams as an unlikely hero, capping a ferocious 2nd quarter Knick-rally with a 3-point bank shot as time expired. The bucket was an exclamation point to a 16-0 run to close out the first half, and the looks on the faces of the Miami players told you that this new-look Knicks team was being taken very seriously. Walker also led the Knicks with a +22 plus/minus rating while he was on the floor, a stat not likely to be ignored by D’Antoni going forward.
Yeah, the big guys did their thing(s) too. Anthony poured in 29 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and single-handedly kept his team afloat during a dreadful 3rd quarter. “Big Shot” Billups drained a critical 3-pointer from somewhere in the 8th row over a disbelieving Wade with 1:01 to go in the 4th. And the aforementioned Stoudemire, despite a ho-hum 16 point, 10 rebound effort, saved his best for last, emphatically blocking LeBron James’s desperate, late-game lay in attempt.
Of some concern is that for the first time this season, Stoudemire failed to get the free throw line, an idiosyncrasy that must not become a trend. In time, he and Anthony must grow comfortable working the two-man game, playing off each other’s tendencies and preferences. Right now, Amar’e seems hesitant and unsure of his role, an ill that only experience and games played can cure.
The Knicks’ Oscar night triumph was probably summed up best by D’Antoni’s comments about defense after the game. “If you want to win, this is how you gotta do it. It’s up to us to do it every night. Guys gotta play some defense. They know how to play, they’re men. It’s what Miami did, until they got their offense going, they played defense.”
Time will tell if the Knicks can build on this victory, and play as well on both ends of the floor as they did in Miami. Once thing is certain though: the Knicks are suddenly the one team that no wants to see come playoff time.
The Payoff Pitch brings you Jamie O’Grady’s distinct take on New York and national sports every Monday. Having previously worked as a Contributing Writer for MLB.com., Jamie is also a practicing lawyer and an unapologetic Yankees, Knicks and Giants fan. He lives in Mount Kisco with his wife, Sarah, and son, Jack.
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @BronXoo
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.