The Knicks were going to have a revival this year. It would be the first full year with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire playing together, and those two superstars would carry the squad and make them into a legitimate force in the Eastern Conference. Things didn’t go quite as planned though, and the team struggled badly out of the gates, and then before long Anthony was missing games with injuries, Stoudamire was out of the lineup for personal reasons, and new acquisitions like Baron Davis still hadn’t suited up.
The Heat, of course, were the stars of last season, and the villains. The super team comprised of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh was supposed to be unstoppable, and begin winning the six or seven championships they all promised. Of course, they lost in the NBA Finals, and now this season have been on a mission. They do indeed look like the team to beat now, as they have been playing fantastic ball and getting big contributions from all three of the big three.
The Heat have been the hottest team in the league, even hotter than the Knicks. Another advantage in their favor is that they will be playing at home here. Last, and not least, the Knicks have lost two of their last three games as they have been struggling to work Anthony, Stoudamire, Davis and J.R. Smith into the fold with Lin and the lineup that had been winning them so many games.
It all adds up to a strong home showing for the Heat, and another victory for the game. If these two meet again in the postseason, the rivalry will truly be renewed, and the Knicks will have had enough time to figure things out and be a real threat. Now though, Miami won’t have a problem at home against New York
