Heat Handle Knicks: A Win That Brings the Attention Back to South Beach

The Miami Heat did exactly what they needed to do in last night's game against the New York Knicks.

But just winning wasn't it. They shut down Knicks' upstart Jeremy Lin and were able to flip the sports world back upright from its tilt into Linsanity.

The Heat defense was faster than ever, with LeBron grabbing five steals by halftime. Lin's bread and butter, the high-ball screen, was handled with defensive perfection.  He was double-teamed every time they tried it and found himself unable to deliver the ball to the roll man or to a shooter as he has been so potent in doing.

Lin was 1-for-11 from the field with three assists and eight turnovers in the loss. Amare Stoudemire appeared to struggle at times, even against Joel Anthony, giving glimpses into the fact that he just may never be as explosive as he once was. Carmelo Anthony took way too many bad shots, going 7-for-20 and only scoring 19 points. 

Never has there been a February All-Star weekend game with this much hype. It was the premiere match up in the Linsanity run and we all knew it would show us if Lin was for real or not.

But that isn't necessarily the case.

Just because Jeremy Lin struggled against the best team in the NBA is no reason to say we were ahead of ourselves by giving him so much hype.  Let's remember a few things here.

First, that Heat defense is absolutely ruthless. They're in the top five of the league in almost every major team defensive stat category.  The speed they bring when you watch them play is unrivaled.

Second, it's one game.  Granted, it's a shorter season, but one game in the NBA means nothing.  Lin has been playing 30-plus minutes a night for the last couple of weeks, an astronomical difference from riding the pine and worrying about being cut. Guys wear down and have bad nights.

Third, Linsanity has been the best thing to happen to the NBA in a long time. In a lockout year, when fans can hold grudges against players and owners, Lin has reminded us that all good has not been lost.  His story is a great one and he is probably the least likely guy to ever end up a star in the NBA.  

The Knicks have some things to work out, and they haven't yet taken that next step, as the Heat were able to reiterate to the world last night.