Knicks Huddle. Photo by: Stacy Podelski
The one concern for fans of the New York Knicks (17-18) after the victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday was the fact that New York turned the ball over way too often. Though the balance of scoring and defense led them on that night to a victory, tonight things were a bit different against the Miami Heat (27-7).
Where Atlanta was missing All-Star guard Joe Johnson, Miami still had their big three intact and ready for the challenge that Jeremy Lin and the new look Knicks brought into the American Airlines Arena.
The Heat trio of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 67 points, while shutting down the New York point-guard and the rest of the Knicks offense, to help extend their winning-streak to eight-games in the 102-88 victory over New York.
New York finished the night with 19 turnovers, six of those coming from Jeremy Lin, who was brought back to earth by the Miami defense tonight. Lin’s teammates didn’t help the cause as forward-center Amar’e Stoudemire had six turnovers in the first 24 minutes.
New York tried to rally behind efforts from Carmelo Anthony, who led the Knicks with 19 points and another phenomenal game from J.R. Smith, who recorded 14 points from the bench. In the end though, the Knicks were outmatched in every way possible, as the guys were outscored 30-16 in the paint, 12-1 on the fast breaks and 12-3 off the turnovers, as Miami is still the team to beat right now.
The NBA as a whole will now take a break, to celebrate the sport of basketball with the 2012 NBA All-StaRir Game. The three-day event will feature the Slam Dunk contest, as well as the three-point contest.
New York will be well represented in Orlando, as Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin will both be scheduled to appear. Anthony will represent the Knicks in the actual All-Star game, while Lin was added to the Rising Stars Challenge, which is set to air on Friday February 24th on TNT at 9:00 p.m.
The Knicks point-guard will be a part of ‘Team Shaq’ who will take on ‘Team Barkley,’ as the combination of rookies and second-year players will hit the floor for an exhibition thriller.
The 61th annual NBA All-Star game is set to take place at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida and all events will be televised on the TNT networks.
Click here for more information on the 2012 NBA All-Star game:
http://www.nba.com/allstar/2012/
Written on February 24, 2012