Knicks vs Heat: How Will Carmelo Anthony's Injury Affect NY vs. LeBron James?
Things have gone from bad to worse for the struggling Knicks. Their chances of beating the Heat in Miami just went from slim to none, as New York will be without the services of its leading scorer on Friday.
According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Carmelo Anthony will be kept out of action for Friday's game against the Heat in Miami.
Carmelo's shooting has been abysmal, but this is a terrible break for the Knicks, at least as it relates to their chances in this game. Anthony is far and away their best offensive player. More importantly, he plays a style that would have given the Knicks their only real chance at an upset.
Without Carmelo, New York will be stuck playing Amar'e Stoudemire's running style against Miami. While that is extremely fun to watch, it will be a recipe for disaster in this one.
The Knicks won't even catch a break from Dwyane Wade, as the shooting guard, who has been out for the last two weeks with an ankle injury, returns to Miami's lineup, according to a report from the team.
Even if Wade isn't 100 percent, the star guard is better on one ankle than the entire Knicks back court put together. At the very least, he'll drain treys from the outside and spread the floor, opening lanes for LeBron James and Chris Bosh to get to the basket. If he's actually healthy, he'll torch the Knicks guards en route to a big night, as the defensively challenged squad won't be able to stay in front of him.
James is too fast to allow the Knicks to consistently beat them, and their offense is too good to give to give the extra possessions to. Now James and Chris Bosh will get the ball more, allowing Miami time to show off their superior overall team.
With Carmelo, they could slow the game down, play more of an isolation style, limit Miami's possessions and grind out a win.
That is not an option anymore, meaning that this game will get ugly.
Now, I am not saying that the Knicks should go out and play Anthony. He is in a terrible shooting slump, and this injury could easily have something to do with that.
Their chances of righting the ship, getting back into the playoff race and then winning in the playoffs are going to be dependent on Anthony. If he isn't at full strength, the Knicks might as well pack the season in right now.
So keeping Carmelo on the bench to give him time to heal is a good move. Forcing Anthony onto the court isn't going to help his injury and could possibly hurt it long term.
But if we're analyzing the Knicks' chances tonight, they are nonexistent. Without Carmelo, this game is going to be a one-sided affair.
