The 2012 NBA Playoffs are over for the New York Knicks. The Knicks forced a fifth game with a narrow victory on Sunday, sending the series back to Miami on Wednesday night. Ultimately, Miami's troika of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh proved to be too much, and the Knicks lost the elimination game by a final score of 106-94.
James led the Heat with 29 points and eight rebounds. He also made 13-of-15 free-throw attempts. Bosh and Wade both had 19 points.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 35 points. Amare Stoudemire had 14 points before fouling out.
Miami led at halftime, 55-44, and the Heat held a double-digit lead almost the entire second half.
"We had opportunities but you have to give the Miami Heat credit because every time we made a run and cut the lead to ten or eleven points, they made plays coming back the other way. That is what great teams do," said Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson.
The Knicks have not won a playoff series since 2000. After a suspenseful season that ranged from the highs of Linsanity to the lows of a coaching change, there will doubtlessly be some serious reflection about what happens next for the Knicks.
In the video below, Amare gets "extinguished" from the game. Scroll up to the eight-second mark.
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