Game 59: Knicks at Heat

by Tommy Dee on February 28th, 2009 at 4:59 pm

When: 7:30 P.M.

Where: South Beach

Watch: MSG

Starting Lineups:

Miami (30-27)

PG: Mario Chalmers

SG- D-Wade

SF- Yakhouba Diawara

PF- Udonis Haslem

C- Jermaine O’Neal

Rest of rotation: Michael Beasley, J. Moon, Daequan Cook

Knicks (24-33)

PG: Chris Duhon

SG: Wilson Chandler

SF: Al Harrington

PF: David Lee

C: Jared Jeffries

Rest of Rotation: Larry Hughes, Danilo Gallinari, Nate Robinson, Quentin Richardson, Chris Wilcox

Injuries:

Heat: N/A

Knicks: OUT: Eddy Curry

GAME NOTES

The Heat are coming off a loss in Atlanta last night, and fortunately for the Knicks they will be in South Beach off a game last night so they haven’t had a chance to oogle the most beautiful women in the world this time of year.

That said, the Knicks, who have seemed very lethargic over the past few games, need to come out with some bounce. Larry Hughes made a statement last night and the team could use some more of Nate Robinson’s energy to gear them up for this showdown.

The Heat have been solid and I’m curious why no one talks about Dwayne Wade in the same conversations as Lebron and Kobe. Wade as the best player on the Olympic team this summer, is healthy, and has led a young and rebuilding team into a playoff spot. The guy is just awesome and will send a message to the Knicks tonight, let’s hope the team can get contributions across the board.

EACH TEAM’S BEST 5-MAN UNIT

NYK: Duhon, Richardson, Jeffries, Lee, Harrington (+ 11)

MIA: Chalmers, Wade, Cook, Beasley, Anthony (+14)

The Other Blog’s Take: Peninsula is Mightier

“…THINGS TO CONSIDER

The Knicks are not afraid to shoot three pointers.  Especially if they are coming from behind, the Heat better be ready to guard the perimeter and go after long rebounds.  With both teams playing on the back end of a back-to-back, the Heat should control the pace.

Daequan Cook is shooting 31.8% (7-for-22) from 3 since the All-Star break.

As expected, Joel Anthony is the backup center, but he is only good for defense. No offense, no rebounds…just defense.  When you need a block, call Joel.

The Knicks should be tired.  They had to battle back from a 29-11 1st quarter deficit last night against Philly, but couldn’t get closer then 3.  It was a long, tolling game…and with the travel to Miami combined with the fatigue and frustration, the Knicks are ‘ripe for the picking…”

Leave the in-game banter in the comments section. Let’s go Knicks.
  • Myles A. Mills

    knicks getting smacked tonight

  • amazinnym

    why is Hughes starting over chandler?? One good game and he gets the starting nod? Isn’t it better to keep starting and developing the younger, more promising chandler? After all, he’s the one here for the long run, I hope

  • gmoney45

    So far it shows the only thing predicatable about our knicks is that they are unpredictable.

  • Knicksfan42793

    AL TRAUTWIG IS THE MOST ANNOYING ANNOUNCER EVER

  • Mucha

    This 4th quarter in unacceptable. 0 IQ. Wade is nice but the Knicks are ridiculous.

  • Mucha

    0 IQ.

  • DMAT89

    the 4th quarter tonight is exactly why i dont want nate back….everytime a game gets close he just forgets about whats best for the team and tries to showboat and costs them, and the even more annoying thing was D’Antoni had just taken him out because he was out of control and ball hoggin…then he had to go back in because of illegal subsitution…and he does the same exact thing again which got him benched…hes more worried about looking flashy then he is winning…do not bring him back…i think the knicks will be fine without him, cause he does the same thing almost every 4th quarter then the game gets close..

  • Mucha

    Robinson and Harrington should just sit against the Hawks. I like both players but what they did in the 4th quarter was UNACCEPTABLE – especially when you get millions.

    I got a lot of respect for D’Antoni but his Duhon-Robinson-Hughes backcourt down the stretch is laughable. The 4th quarter against the Magic should have been a lesson.

    Dwyane Wade is a great player but he did not win the game – the Knicks lost it with negative IQ. What a waste of time.

  • kkwik2211

    The Knicks are pathetic.
    This is who should’ve been on the court in the last couple of minutes when the Knicks still had the lead and Dwayne Wade made them look foolish.
    pg: hughes
    sg: chandler
    sf: gallinari
    pf: harrington
    c: wilcox
    Defense was pathetic in the end of the game and the only good defenders we have are in that lineup right there. D’antoni has to start utilizing Wilcox more whether he likes it or not. He’s a good shot blocker and he would take some of the pressure off D.Lee down low.

  • kkwik2211

    Take Harrington out of that and put Lee in actually. Lee isn’t that great of a defender, but his rebounding is far more useful then Harrington’s selfish play. Like Clyde was saying all night, the Knicks are better when they are passing, not playing one on one which Nate and Al seem to not know how to do…

  • BiggieSmalls

    Wade is a superstar.

    He has the ability to take the game into his hands and will a win. That is what we saw tonite.

    This is what a superstar looks like and does.,

  • Mucha

    Berman’s article tomorrow will go down in history haha.

    Like I said, I got a lot of respect for D’Antoni but this is too much, this Larry Hughes – Nate Robinson and CHRIS DUHON backcourt down the stretch is laughable. He needs to stop because this is ridiculous. Robinson and Harrington should have been benched in the last minutes.

    Basically, D’Antoni HAS to put his best shooter in (Gallinari) and draw a play to create a mismatch. I mean, come on.

  • Mucha

    Perhaps, but he did not win the game. The Knicks lost it.

    When you get a 17-0 run that means that you haven’t been able to get a bucket – and if you look at what Robinson and Harrington did, then it’s easy to see that Dwyane Wade didn’t win it. Kobe and LeBron won their games, Dwyane Wade didn’t.

  • http://www.hotstovenewyork.com gozer

    I thought a big turning point was when Gallo missed the wide open 3 after bloodying Wade’s mouth. Yes, it was a turning point because it got the Heat fired up, but a make there would’ve been a beautiful gut punch and maybe Miami’s hissy fit ends up looking sad instead of inspiring.

    I thought the team had a chance of going 13-12 down the stretch here. They would’ve finished with 37 wins and likely would’ve missed the playoffs by a hair. I could’ve lived with that. These back-to-back L’s have me feeling pessimistic however. Maybe 37 is a reach.

  • TrentMotherTucker

    Yeah the Knicks lost, oh well. The main difference.. Miami has a leader in Wade, the Knicks don’t.

  • DMAT89

    As i have said in the past, nate and al harrington arent championship players, you dont win with guys like that because they are more worried about themselves…like harrington vs the cavs at the garden…harrington was more worried about trying to match lebron then he was winning, and dont even get me started on nate, i never have been so angry with a guy that puts up 25+ but he puts up those numbers cause hes selfish and a showboat.

  • BiggieSmalls

    Come on Mucha. Wade outscored our whole team in the 4th Quarter.

    Fourth Quarter.
    D Wade 24 Pts
    NYK 17 pts

  • BiggieSmalls

    when the heat went on the 19-0 run Wade scored 15 of them..

    He was unconscious./ That is taking a game over.

  • Mucha

    I understand that – I don’t criticize the Knicks for their defense because Wade is one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

    I criticize them for not getting buckets and playing with negative IQ on the offensive end.

  • JoeD

    The problem with Nate is that everything he does he thinks is great because he is undersized. Sometime he just has to act like he has been there done that. He gets way to emotional and it actually makes him do foolish thing on court. I understand being emotional is great sometimes, but at the end of the game its the ones that are ice cold cool that get it done.