Heat vs. Knicks: Game 4 Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Analysis
The Miami Heat had the New York Knicks on the brink of elimination, and instead of lying down, the Knicks battled back. They took down the Heat, 87-89, in front of their hometown fans on Sunday night.
Miami still leads 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.
New York trailed for much of this game, but they came out of the locker room after halftime with purpose, and they made a nice third-quarter run. This was a back-and-forth game for the majority of the second half, and it was an absolutely amazing finish, as the stars traded big shots.
In the end, the Knicks did just enough to survive for at least one more game.
Tweets of the Night
This win was a long time coming for the Knicks. How long you ask? I'll let this tweeter answer that question.
"Knicks Win First Playoff Game In 11 Years@ Madison Square Garden instagr.am/p/KTVuNPxNwf/
— Fred Wilson (@fredwilson) May 6, 2012"
Bloggie McBlogger (Twitter name of the day award) brings up a great point. There was much more value in Amar'e Stoudemire playing in this game than simply just bringing his talents to the contest.
"If the Knicks are in fact motivated to move Amare this offseason, this game can't hurt.
— Bloggie McBlogger (@yagottagotomo) May 6, 2012"
The New York Post's Marc Berman pointed out that anything is possible now because we're likely headed toward a little Linsanity.
"If #Knicks win this somehow, you can bet Jeremy Linsanity is playing in Miami.
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) May 6, 2012"
Lin's return will be especially vital for the Knicks, as Baron Davis went down with an apparent knee injury in the second half. His initial reaction made it seem unlikely that he will be returning to the court anytime soon.
Must-See Highlight
J.R. Smith came up huge for the Knicks in the third. New York was building some momentum, but they squandered a chance with a missed shot. However, Smith stepped into the passing lane, stole the ball and calmly stepped back to drill a three.
Believe it or not, this was the first made three of the game.
Key Heat Players' Grades
LeBron James: B-
James struggled with his shot a bit in this game, but it was his performance in other areas that really hurts his grade.
He had four rebounds, four assists and five turnovers.
Dwyane Wade: B+
Wade was active and clutch. He had 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He also dished out six assists and three blocks. He came up with big plays by a combination of hustle and athleticism.
He was terrible from the free-throw line, though, hitting just four of 11 tries.
Chris Bosh: B
Bosh played a solid game. He was aggressive on offense and was rewarded with plenty of trips to the free-throw line—he finished 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. He also ended with with 17 points and did a solid job with eight boards.
Key Knicks Players' Grades
Anthony really couldn't have done much more in this game. He's being asked to play big minutes, and he isn't afforded the luxury of taking any possessions off on offense or defense.
He was off from distance—just 1-of-4—but was good overall at 15-of-29 from the field. He finished with 41 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Amar'e Stoudemire: B+
Stoudemire had a nice game as he looks for redemption after losing his fight with a fire extinguisher casing.
He didn't get a ton of shots, but was efficient with the ones he had. He was 8-of-13 from the field for 20 points. He also did a solid job pulling in 10 boards.
Tyson Chandler: B+
Chandler is always going be a tough player to measure by stats. And he didn't contribute much in that way here. He had just one point, and while you'd like to see him score a little more than that, he did what he needed to do.
He proved why he's the Defensive Player of the Year, as he did a nice job owning the paint.
Deciding Factor: Free Throws
The Knicks weren't fantastic from the line, going 20-of-29, but that was slightly better than the 24-of-35 effort the Heat turned in. What was vastly better than the Heat was the Knicks victory.
Their missed free throws can be forgiven and forgotten. The Heat, on the other hand....
Game MVP: Carmelo Anthony
Anthony missed two late free throws that could have sealed the game, but given how much he was asked to do, it's understandable that his legs would be a little tired at that point.
Anthony was fantastic. He's the reason this team will live to play another day.
What's Next?
These two will meet Wednesday night in Miami for Game 5.
