NBA Playoffs 2012: Heat Get Big Win To Take Game 2
By Editorial Staff
The Miami Heat took Game 2 last night with a commanding 104-94 win. The Knicks kept it close for most of the first half, but the tank seemed to run dry as the game wore on. Carmelo Anthony had a solid outing with 30 points and 9 rebounds but in a span of 44 minutes. The Knicks had trouble in game 1 getting the ball in Carmelo’s hands. In game 2, they decided to just give him the ball before the Heat could even set up their defense
The Knicks have to try to find another option other then Melo who just seemed exhausted by the end of the 3rd quarter. One option could be shooting forward Steve Novak who came out of the regular season with the best percentage in 3PM-A. With so much attention on the Knicks big three, other scorers like Novak, Smith and Davis are left wide open. Melo has to learn how to distribute the ball more effectively.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d4GV_XIFas
KEY PLAYERS:
Knicks: Carmelo Anthony – 30 PTS, 9 REB, 12-26 FGM-A, 44 Mins
I’ve never been a Carmelo Anthony fan; with his shoot first pass later motto, but you can’t criticize his style of play when he’s the only “go to” guy on the team. Every shot he made wasn’t easy and he earned every one of his points. If he can get his teammates involved, we may have a different story in our hands come Wednesday.
Heat: Dwayne Wade – 25 PTS, 4 AST, 11-18 FGM-A, 35 Mins
Wade took hold of this game from start to finish, shooting over 50% from the field. A day after admitting that his counterpart Lebron James is now the leader of this team, Wade was still able to rack up huge numbers to lead the Heat to victory. A true leader allows his teammates to shine.
KEY MOMENTS:
Knicks: Mike Woodson keeps Carmelo in the game
Carmelo had a strong first half, making shot after shot over any defender the Heat gave him. But as the Heat rallied to lead by as much as 12 points, the Knicks offence was stagnant and Carmelo looked exhausted. Taking heavy breaths after ever whistle, you could tell the tank was running low and Woodson was on the hot seat to keep or take Melo off the floor.
Heat: And 1 after and 1 after and 1
Anthony drives right to the basket, reversing his lay up but with no avail as Joel Anthony swats the ball away, leading to a Lebron James and 1. On the ensuing play, Lebron lays it up for another and 1. Guess what happens next?
KEY STATS:
Knicks:
Carmelo Anthony 44:33 Mins
Heat:
19-27 FTM-A over Knicks 13-19 FTM-A
Quotes:
Knicks:
Mike Woodson– “It is still a seven-game series. You have to win four to get out of it. They (Miami) held serve at home. We want to win and to get out of this series we have to win a game here”. (NBA.com)
Heat:
Dwayne Wade – “I tried to be aggressive early, but the biggest thing was I was getting touches at my sweet spot. My teammates did a great job screening for me, they passed me the ball where I could make it easy; easy shot” (NBA.com)
Next Game:
Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 7:00 PM. @ New York
Series:
Miami leads the series 2-0
Notes:
Rumor has it that Jeremy Lin may be back for Friday’s game 4. Could he make a difference with Iman Shumpert injured and the lack of point guard efficiency for the Knicks? There is no question that he could make an impact but how much is really the question.
Also, Amare may be out indefinitely for punching the glass that protects the fire extinguisher. Is it just me or is that kind of hilarious? This could either be a serious loss for the Knicks or just another one for the blooper reel.
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