Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks: Heat's Keys to Putting an End to Linsanity

While the "Super Lintendo" was temporarily shut off when the Knicks lost to the New Jersey Nets in Carmelo Anthony's long-awaited return, it was reset last night when the Knicks took down the Atlanta Hawks, 99-82, in the Big Apple. 

There's no doubt that Lin and the Knicks will be looking to keep the Linsanity going in their final game before the 2012 NBA All-Star break when the travel to South Beach to face the Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat on the other hand are going to be looking to keep their seven-game winning streak alive, and while stopping Linsanity will be a challenge, it's definitely possible, and ahead are keys to doing just that.

Keep Linsanity out of the paint

The most important thing that the Heat must do defensively regarding Jeremy Lin is keep him out of the paint, which is something Miami's done a good job of so far this season. Miami ranks fourth in the NBA in points allowed in the paint, with an average of 37.2 points per game.

If Miami wants to prove that they are the best team in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break, they must beat the hottest team in the league, which is undoubtedly the New York Knicks.

The only way that they are going to manage to do that is if they keep Jeremy Lin out of the place where he does his most damage—the paint.

Lin is a difference maker for the Knicks when he gets into the paint, either by scoring and getting fouled or focusing the defense on himself and dishing the ball to one of the Knicks' big men. So how can the Miami keep Linsanity out of the paint? That brings me to the next key for the Heat.

Have Dwyane Wade guard Jeremy Lin

At 6'3'' and 205 lbs., Jeremy Lin is somewhat of a mismatch, defensively speaking, for starting point guard Mario Chalmers. While Chalmers could realistically handle him, a better fit defensively for Lin and his aggressive style of play is for Dwyane Wade to lock him down.

Wade has both the athletic advantage, as well as the physical advantage over Lin, and can make Lin's night in Miami that much more difficult than a guy like Mario Chalmers could.

To allow Wade to lock down Lin, the Heat will have to abandon their normal starting frontcourt of LeBron, Chalmers and Wade, and instead put Shane Battier at the small-forward position.

If Miami goes with the lineup of Battier, Wade and LeBron, it will allow Wade to defend Lin, LeBron to defend Fields and Battier to lock down Carmelo Anthony. Starting the game with a different starting five would be a great way to surprise the upstart Knicks, as well as get them out of their normal game/attack early on.

Now onto a key that doesn't focus on the Miami Heat on the defensive side of the ball.

Get out into transition early and often

The New York Knicks are a solid defensive team, allowing the 12th-least points per game in the NBA, with an average of 94.2. The one weakness that exists on the Knicks' defense is their inability to lock down teams that run the fast break in their transition offense, and that's exactly what the Heat must do if they want to dominate Jeremy Lin and slow down Linsanity.

The Heat are arguably the best transition team in the NBA, with Wade and LeBron flying around the court with ease. Just watch this 60-foot alley-oop and see how easy it is for LeBron and company to dominate in transition.

The Knicks' defense excels in forcing turnovers and contesting shots in the half-court offensive set, and if Miami can avoid relying on that by getting out into transition, they will have a significant advantage over Jeremy Lin and company. The final key for putting an end to Linsanity on Thursday night exists in the Heat forcing a player other than Jeremy Lin to be the difference maker.

Force Carmelo Anthony to win the game

Saying that the Heat need to force five-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony to beat them might sound foolish, but when you break it down, it makes perfect sense. In 'Melo's return against the New Jersey Nets, he shot 36.4 percent from the field while accounting for only 11 points and a team-high six turnovers.

If 'Melo was 100 percent healthy, I'd never make the statement "make 'Melo beat you," but it's clear that he's still rusty from his weeks on the bench with a groin injury. Forcing 'Melo to carry the Knicks' offense, by taking the ball out of Jeremy Lin's hands, is one way to ensure that the Linsanity hype train makes its final stop when it rolls into South Beach.

Jeremy Lin is the hottest player in the NBA right now, and for good reason. He's averaging 25-plus points and eight-plus assists per game on nearly 50 percent shooting from the field. The last thing the Heat want to do is to force Lin to beat them because he very well could do just that.

If Miami wants to beat New York and roll into the 2012 All-Star Weekend as the hottest team in the NBA, they must derail Linsanity and the Knicks who will be looking for some respect with a big time win against the streaking Heatles.

If they manage to focus on the keys listed above, they will do just that, and they'll undoubtedly do so in impressive and dominant fashion.

Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks.  LeBron and Wade vs. Linsanity and 'Melo.

Who you got?