The New York Knicks defeated the Miami Heat, 89-87 in Game 4 of their first-round NBA Playoff series at Madison Square Garden. The win forces a Game 5. The Knicks trail in the series, 3-1.
The shooting percentages for both teams were dreadful, especially from behind the arc, in the first half. The shooting improved in the second half but not dramatically. Yet, ironically, it was accurate three-point shooting which made the game exciting down to the wire. First, Mike Bibby's deep shot broke an 81-81 tie with 1:23 to give the Knicks a lead briefly. The Heat tied on the next possession on a LeBron James three-pointer. Then, Carmelo Anthony drained a 26-foot three-pointer on the next possession to give the lead back to New York.
Shane Battier fouled Anthony from behind the arc with 25 seconds left and the Knicks holding a 87-84 lead, but Anthony only hit one of the three shots. James responded with a dazzling layup and converted the foul shot to cut the lead to one. With the game on the line, Stoudemire went 1-2 from the charity stripe with 14 seconds to go. The Heat's Wade tried a long shot for the win but came up short, giving the Knicks their first playoff win since 2001, or, before Facebook was invented.
Anthony led the Knicks with 41 points. Amare Stoudemire chipped in 20 points for New York. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh did the damage for Miami with 27, 22 and 17 points, respectively.
Game 5 will take place on Wednesday, May 9th at 7 p.m. at American Airlines Arena in Miami. The Knicks will not have guard Baron Davis, who left the game with a dislocated right patella in the third quarter.
For more on the Knicks playoff basketball and Baron Davis' injury, check back to this SB Nation New York StoryStream. Meanwhile, the SB Nation blog Posting and Toasting is all about Knicks basketball. NBA Playoff schedule and updates can be found here at SBNation.com.