Heat vs Knicks: Win Doesn't Change Anything for New York's Chances
The New York Knicks ended their unbelievable playoff-win drought tonight by knocking off the Miami Heat. Unfortunately, it came at a price.
The price, of course, is point guard Baron Davis, who went down in the third quarter with a nasty knee injury and won't return this series.
Davis is hardly the most important point guard in the league and he wasn't exactly lighting the scoreboard on fire, but he provided the all-important depth at point guard.
Now who do the Knicks have to play the point?
Mike Bibby is still there, but he's about 19 years over the hill, and despite hitting some absolute clutch shots today, he can't really be relied on if he's going to play over 20 minutes.
J.R. Smith can bring the ball up, and he did a little bit of that tonight, but he's clearly not the ideal point guard. That is, of course, if you want anyone else to touch the ball (in all seriousness, Smith is a pretty good drive-and-kick player when he wants to be, he just never wants to be).
And that leaves Jeremy Lin, who is hoping on returning from his knee injury in Game 5. Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine him being very effective in his first few games back or even being able to log more than 15 to 20 minutes.
So, the Knicks have lived to play another game, but their depth and talent, at least at the guard position, is all of a sudden very thin, even if Lin returns.
Essentially, it was a bittersweet victory for New York.
Now the Knicks travel to Miami, where they have to win at one of the toughest arenas in the NBA if they hope to get back to Madison Square Garden. And if they somehow force a Game 7 despite their array of injuries and erratic play, they'll have to go to South Beach again.
Tonight's win offers a glimmer of hope, but as far as the series outlook, things haven't changed much.
