NBA TNT Thursday: New York Knicks vs Miami Heat Predictions - Vernon Croy Sports
The New York Knicks vs. the Miami Heat used to be one of the fiercest rivalries in the NBA. In the mid-to-late 1990s, it seemed like these two teams always met in the postseason, and it was always a fierce, bruising battle. Of course, neither team to broke through to win a title, playing second fiddle to Michael Jordan and the Bulls like the rest of the league. But the rivalry has been a bit renewed these days for a few reasons, and when the Knicks visit Miami and take the Heat on Thursday night, it will be a very intriguing and anticipated game.
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.
Enter Jeremy Lin. We all know what happened here. Linsanity shook the world to its core, as Lin took the league by storm and began breaking all kinds of records. The pick and roll specialist was dishing out great passes, scoring loads of points, hitting big buckets, and basically doing it all as the Knicks won an astonishing 7 straight games after having previously lost 11 of 13. The Knicks revival happened after all, but it was all thanks to Lin, while Anthony and Stoudamire now have to reintegrate themselves into the team and its plans.
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.
And so it is that the Knicks vs. the Heat has some steam once again. There's a lot of star power on the court when these two meet now, with James, Wade and Bosh squaring off against Anthony, Stoudamire and yes, Jeremy Lin. So who's going to win on Thursday night when these two teams meet?
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.
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23 Feb, 2012
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