So much for Linsanity – Big Three take over as Miami Heat roll over the New York Knicks: NBA Recap
With the game just 2:03 minutes old, Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers stripped the ball of New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin and then thundered to the other coast for a slam jam.
03:37 into the second frame, rookie PG Norris Cole repeated the act and the message from the Heat was clear - Knicks, Linsanity or whatever, they aren’t going to be intimated.
In what was billed to the marquee game before entering the All-Star weekend, Miami Heat laid down an emphatic statement by bulldozing the resurgent Knicks 102-88. The win took Miami’s winning streak to 8 and such has been their dominance that all of those wins have been at least by a margin 12 points.
Dwyane Wade had said a night before, that come Thursday night, the game will not be a contest between Lin and LeBron James, it will be whole Miami Heat team taking on the Big Apple sensation.
And the Heat lived up to his words.
More so because LeBron didn’t even feel the need to guard Lin throughout the night.
Miami directed a stream of defenders on Lin, leaving him with no room to manoeuvre and by the time the game ended, NBA’s latest break out kid was reduced to a 1-of-11 shooting for 8 points. He dished out just three assists and committed a game-high 8 turnovers, six of them in the first half, by the end of which Miami were leading by 51-47.
"A learning experience," a humbled Lin said after the game. "A tough one."
Miami had four players in double-figures. Chris Bosh led the charge with 25 points, shooting 11 of 17 from the field, and eight rebounds; Wade scored 22 while James added 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out eight assists. Cole also pitched in with 10 points off the bench.
Miami started the game on a 10-4 run, but never managed to stamp their authority as the Knicks kept pegging back before finally taking the lead on two free throws from Carmelo Anthony, 20-19, late in the frame.
The Heat ended the first quarter with five consecutive points, but Steve Novak, the unsung hero of New York’s resurgence, drilled two from distance in a 12-4 run that put the visitors ahead by 32-28. A tight passage of play followed and with 2:59 to go, Amare Stoudemire, who finished the night with 13 points, hooked a shot into the cup to put the Knicks up by 40-39.
At that juncture, it seemed that the game will live up to its reputation and go right down to the wire.
However, the Heat were just warming up.
They outscored the Knicks 12-7 to end the half and then slammed the door in the third to take a 80-66 into the last 12 minutes. Miami’s big three combined for 25 of the 29 points in the stanza, which included a 14-6 run midway, and was capped by four consecutive points from James.
The Knicks closed within 8 early in the 4th, but the men from the South Beach kept on delivering one offensive wave after another to dampen any chance of a comeback.
When the game ended, the Knicks knew that they have lot of ground to cover before making life difficult for the likes of Heat.
"We have some work to do," said Anthony. "Nobody said it would happen overnight."
Mike D’ Antoni agreed with his star small forward, who led the Knicks with 19 points.
"It's one game," He said. "And we're not there yet. They're there. They're the team right now to beat for everybody. They're playing better than everybody. And we're trying to get our team together."
Tags: