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Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks
Game 3 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 2-0 Heat Series
Lead
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Amar’e Stoudemire is out for Game 3 because of the
laceration on his left hand he got when hitting the fire extinguisher after
Game 2. He says he wants to be back for
Sunday afternoon’s Game 4, but he is currently listed as doubtful. One positive he does have going for him
though is that the injury is on his left, non-shooting hand.
Jared Jeffries is starting to feel better, as head coach
Mike Woodson said that Jeffries minutes can be increased for Game 3. Before the series started, Woodson had said
that Jeffries would be limited to 15 minutes a game, but has played only 11
minutes combined in the first two games.
Jeffries will help add to the Knicks interior defense, something that
has been lacking thus far in the series.
Tyson Chandler is all systems go. After receiving the Defensive Player of the
Year award, Chandler will look to
show why he got it tonight at full strength.
He says that he is 100% and fine after suffering through the stomach flu
Games 1 and 2. Look for him to have a
dominant performance on both offense and defense with the absence of
Stoudemire.
There had been rumblings that Jeremy Lin was going to
attempt a comeback for Game 3, but that has been shut down. His knee did not respond as well after full
contact practice earlier in the week, and his return has been pushed back
again. It is now doubtful that he will
return for Game 4 as well, meaning that the chance of seeing Jeremy Lin again
this season are becoming less and less likely.
The Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh welcomed a baby boy into the
world this morning. He is questionable
for Game 3 because he returned to Miami
late last night to be with his wife. The
Heat have not yet ruled Bosh out, holding out hope he can return to New York in
time for Game 3.
Mike Woodson will have a lot of decisions to make going into
tonight’s game with his starting lineup.
With two starters being out, Woodson will have to change up his lineup
for the third time in three games. There
have been whispers that Steve Novak will step into the starting lineup, but he
would present tough match-ups on the defensive end for the Knicks as he would
struggle to guard Lebron James or Chris Bosh.
In my opinion, the best option would be starting Josh Harrellson. He provides great defense and rebounding,
allowing Chandler to guard the
Center instead of Bosh, keeping him closer to the basket where the Knicks need
him.
-Bench Production
With the Knicks missing two starters, the bench unit is
going to look a little different but they will need to step up
nonetheless. Players will get playing time
tonight that hasn’t all series and they have to be prepared for game action.
One player we know will be prepared is J.R. Smith. He has been the best player for the Knicks
thus far in the series. The Knicks will
need him to provide a scoring punch off the bench and help carry the load along
with Carmelo Anthony. Smith has been
aggressive on the offensive end and defensive end. He has taken on whatever Mike Woodson has
asked him to do and succeeded.
It would be nice to see Steve Novak get going as well. The fans at the Garden are going to be going
crazy tonight and Novak having a good performance will only increase that. Every time he touches the ball, there is a
little more buzz in the crowd. If he’s
able to get a few shots to fall early, the game could be there for the Knicks
taking.
-Carmelo Anthony Slides to the 4
Carmelo Anthony will be moved to the starting Power Forward
position tonight with the absence of Amar’e Stoudemire. This has been a position that Anthony has
thrived in throughout the season. He
causes match-up problems for opposing teams because there is no power forward
in the NBA that can contain him. It also
helps that Anthony can hold his own on defense against bigger opponents because
of his excellent strength and power.
Having Anthony at the 4 will also bring one of the Heat’s bigs
away from the basket. Anthony does a lot
of his work from the perimeter, so bringing the Heat’s big men away from the
basket will not only make it easier for Anthony to score, but at the same time
open up the lane for easy attempts for his teammates.
-Attack the Paint
The Knicks have been badly outscored in the paint through
the first two games of the series. This
is a trend that must be reversed if the Knicks hope to make some noise and end
their 12 game playoff losing streak.
One reason for this is the lack of Tyson Chandler. Battling the stomach flu, he has not been
himself on either end of the court.
Finally feeling better heading into game 3, expect the gap of scoring in
the paint to come closer to the Knicks. Chandler
will add easy points for the Knicks while taking away scoring from the Heat.
Attacking the paint will also result in more trips to the
foul line. The Knicks have not been as
aggressive as the Heat (and don’t have the refs helping them out like the Heat),
leading to less free throw attempts. If
the Knicks are able to get to the foul line more and slow down the game it will
go a long way for them, as they could be battling fatigue with yet another
injury decimating their team.
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