Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James: How New York Knicks Match Up vs. Miami Heat
Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks head into Miami on Sunday night to square off against the Heat on national television, and New York has high expectations for this game.
But should they?
Anthony gives the Knicks another lights-out scorer, but will he and Amar'e Stoudemire be enough to overcome Miami's LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh?
Although Anthony and new Knicks starting point guard Chauncey Billups are not fully acclimated to Coach Mike D'Antoni's system yet, this should still be an interesting game to watch.
The Knicks gave up so much young talent in the Anthony trade because they believed it would help get them to the point where they were competing with teams like the Heat night in and night out.
Tonight we will find out just how close the Knicks are to the Heat's level, and if the addition of Anthony makes the Knicks a legitimate threat to other elite teams in the Eastern Conference and around the rest of the NBA.
Here's a look at each individual matchup between the Knicks and Heat, as well as which team has the advantage at each position.
Point Guard: New York Knicks' Chauncey Billups vs. Miami Heat's Mario Chalmers
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Mario Chalmers looks less than impressive on paper.
He is averaging 6.7 points and 2.3 assists per game. ย His assists are definitely low for a starting point guard, but when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have the ball in their hands as much as they do, you cannot expect any more.
Chalmers is only 24, and a major threat from three-point range, where he is shooting above 35 percent for the season. ย He is also shooting over 93 percent from the line so should this game head into crunch time, New York needs to be sure to keep Chalmers away from the foul line.
Although Chalmers is 10 years younger than Chauncey Billups, he is simply no match for the 34-year-old.
Billups is averaging 16.7 points and over five assists per game, and he is shooting a whopping 43 percent from beyond the arc. ย He is also shooting over 92 percent from the foul line, a point fewer than Chalmers, but Chalmers has been to the free-throw line fewer than 50 times this season.
Additionally, Billups can run the offense effectively as well as put up 30 or more points on any given night.
Chalmers' main job is to put the ball in Wade's or James' hand. ย And Wade really handles most of the point guard duties for Miami, even though he starts at the two.
There is no question who has the edge in this matchup.
Advantage: New York Knicks
Shooting Guard: New York Knicks' Landry Fields vs. Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade
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Dwyane Wade is one of the top five players in the NBA.
He is averaging 25.8 points and almost seven rebounds per game. ย Wade also dishes out over four assists each night.
Even with LeBron James on the team, Wade is putting up huge numbers, and believe it or not he still remains the face of the organization. ย The Heat drafted him, and he is their franchise player as long as he is there.
Wade handles an abundance of the point guard duties for Miami, despite starting at the two. ย And when he gets inside, there is simply no stopping him.
Although Wade shoots only 32 percent from three-point range, he will not hesitate to take the three. Furthermore, if he gets hot, he can score from anywhere on the court.
Wade is a tenacious defender; should New York neglect to take proper care of the ball, he has the potential to get four or five steals a game.
Besides his three-point shooting, the only real place where Wade needs to improve is free-throw shooting. ย He is shooting just over 70 percent on the season from the charity stripe.
But when Wade does so many other things right, this is something Miami can live with.
New York's Landry Fields has been solid this season. He is averaging 10 points and over seven rebounds a game.
Sadly though, Fields is no match for Wade.
The only advantages Fields has over Wade are his three-point shooting ability and the fact that he is three inches taller.
Fields' height advantage should help him when he is defending Wade, especially given that he is already a solid defender.
But in truth, the height difference is of no real significance.
Fields is a rookie and Wade is an explosive veteran who may be the hardest person to defend in the NBA next to LeBron James.
Advantage: Miami
Center: New York Knicks' Ronny Turiaf vs. Miami Heat's Zydrunas Ilgauskas
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Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a monster standing at 7'3", and is definitely a force to be reckoned with down low.
However, Ilgauskas is playing barely 17 minutes a game for the Heat. He is averaging a little over five points and four rebounds per game.
At the age of 35, Ilgauskas is fragile and the rigors of the NBA are taking their toll on the big man.ย
Ronny Turiaf of the Knicks is also very fragile, but he is much more agile than Ilgauskas.
Turifaf averages only four points and three rebounds in 18 minutes per game. ย And at 6'10", he is five inches shorter than Ilgauskas.
Although Turiaf is injury-prone, he is seven years younger than Ilgauskas and has the potential to make a bigger impact on his team.
Turiaf can cut to the basket and is a better shot blocker than Ilgauskas despite being five inches shorter than him.
The matchup is close, but the only true edge Ilgauskas has on Turiaf is his height. ย This could go either way, but Turiaf will prove to be slightly more effective then Ilgauskas.
Advantage: New York Knicks
Power Forward: New York Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire vs. Miami Heat's Chris Bosh
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New York attempted to lure Chris Bosh over the summer, but signed Amar'e Stoudemire instead. Bosh is now the third offensive option in Miami, a transition from being the No. 1 option in Toronto.
He has adjusted quite nicely though.ย
Bosh is averaging 18.3 points and just over eight rebounds per game. ย These numbers are slightly below his career average, but this is to be expected when moving from the first offensive option to the third.
Bosh is able to hit the mid-range jumper and is a major offensive threat in the paint. ย His defense could improve, but his offense is more than stellar.
However, Bosh is no threat to Stoudemire. ย
Stoudemire is the face of the Knicks organization, and he is simply more explosive than Bosh.
He is averaging 26.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, currently third in the league in scoring behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
One advantage Bosh used to have over Stoudemire is his ability to hit the mid-range jumper. ย But now, Stoudemire is not only a low-post threat, but he can hit from the outside as well.
Stoudemire is also a better defender than Bosh. ย He is averaging over 2.2 blocks per game, good for fourth in the NBA. ย He may get into foul trouble at times, but his aggression on defense is a virtue New York has come to value.
Additionally, Stoudemire has become a legitimate MVP candidate by proving he could carry the Knicks to the playoffs before they got Carmelo Anthony.ย
Both Bosh and Stoudemire are fantastic players, but New York got the best available power forward this past summer.
Advantage: New York Knicks
Small Forward: New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony vs. Miami Heat's LeBron James
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LeBron James is having another spectacular season.
He is second in the league in scoring with 26.2 points a game. ย In addition, James dishes out over seven assists and grabs seven rebounds per game.
And as usual, James is an MVP candidate.
The guy can simply not be stopped. ย Even when he is having an off night scoring-wise, he still finds a way to make a contribution. ย Whether it be finding an open teammate or grabbing a key rebound, James will make an impact.
What often goes unnoticed is James' defensive ability. ย He averages over one steal a game and has the ability to block two or more shots each game.ย
Carmelo Anthony is also a great player. ย He is averaging 25 points, fifth most in the NBA, and nearly eight rebounds a game.ย Those 25 and eight are pretty much guaranteed every night.
Despite Anthony's automatic game stats, he is simply not a match for James.
Anthony will definitely be able to go point for point on the offensive end, but other than that, there's not much else he can do to compete with James.
James will hound Anthony on defense, and while he will not be able to contain Anthony, the story will be the same on the other end. ย Anthony lacks defensive commitment as it is. ย Against James, forget about it.
Anthony will not be able to keep James out of the paint, and should a double team come and help him, James will find the open man, guaranteed.
Also, James has been working on moving without the ball this season. ย He is cutting and running the occasional pick and roll, which makes him even more dangerous.
Anthony's upside, though, is that he will put up enough points to ensure that people will not look at the matchup as if LeBron is running circles around him.
Regardless, James is too great of a player and Anthony will not be able to keep pace with all he can do on the court.
Advantage: Miami Heat
New York Knicks Bench vs. Miami Heat's Bench
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Both New York and Miami are thin when it comes to supporting casts.
The Heat could have had a great role player in Mike Miller, but injuries have limited his contribution and he has been a bust this season. ย If Miller was fully healthy, the Heat would have the edge in this department hands down.
Miami has some mediocre players in Eddie House, Erick Dampier and James Jones coming off the bench, but nobody that really stands out. ย
Same goes for the Knicks.
New York had a solid bench before the Carmelo Anthony trade, but now its rotation is rounded out by Toney Douglas, Bill Walker and Shawne Williams.
Douglas has the potential to score 25 or more points as he showed last week against the Bucks, but he hasn't shown he can do that consistently. ย He is one of the best defenders on New York, though.
Bill Walker and Shawne Williams have been solid, but both are playing above their heads and are no real game changers.
The Knicks also lack that prolific role player. ย Unlike the Heat, though, they gave theirs away in Wilson Chandler.
Despite this, if it weren't for James Jones' three-point ability and the fact that Erick Dampier provides an interior presence off the bench, the Knicks would win this battle of the benches.
As it stands though, this one is too close to call.
Advantage: Even
Overall Advantage: Miami Heat over New York Knicks
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New York actually has the advantage in more positions than Miami, but the Knicks still lack the ability to defeat the Heat at full strength.
LeBron James is too much for any player in the NBA and Dwyane Wade will push Knicks rookie Landry Fields to the edge with his explosiveness.
The Knicks may be able to hang around with the Heat for a half or so, but expect Miami to blow this open heading into the fourth quarter.
And should this game turn into a blowout, the Knicks need to take a good look at the trade they just completed.
Carmelo Anthony may have not been a Knick for long, but we should still be seeing a difference with him on the court.
As it stands now, the Knicks are a 45-win team, the same as they were before the trade. ย
The only difference is now when Amar'e Stoudemire heads to the bench, there is still a go-to scorer on the floor. ย But unlike before, the Knicks do not have any consistently capable role players to surround him with.
Stoudemire will hold his own and then some against Chris Bosh, and Anthony will do what he does best and put points on the board, but look for both Wade and James to have huge games.
The Knicks seem to believe that Carmelo Anthony is a step in the right direction to ensuring they can compete with the Heat, and let's hope they're right.
However, it still is clear that the Knicks have some work to do before being considered an elite team.
New York views this game against the Heat as a chance to prove itself, but Knicks fans shouldn't get their hopes up.
As long as Miami has its superstar trio on the floor, the Knicks are a player short.
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