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The Miami Heat started the playoffs with a defensive masterpiece, harassing the New York Knicks into 24 turnovers and holding them to a meager 67 points.
LeBron James was on fire and scored 23 of his game high 32 points in the first half. Dwyane Wade had 19 and Mario Chalmers chipped in with 11 points and 7 assists.
Carmelo Anthony struggled to find his rhythm throughout but double doubled with 11 points and 10 rebounds on just 3-15 shooting.
Baron Davis scored 10 points in the 1st quarter but was scoreless afterwards, J.R. Smith finished with a team high 17 points and Amare Stoudemire had just 9 in the loss.
Erik Spoelstra decided to front Carmelo Anthony on the high and low post and the Knicks struggled to make entry passes throughout, committing 10 more tunorvers than the Heat and shooting just 35%.
Shane Battier LeBron James rendered the defensive assignment on Carmelo Anthony and combined to take 4 offensive charges in the first half.
The Heat outscored the Knicks 30-13 in the 2nd quarter and went into the break with a 23 point lead. They would never look back and cruised to victory.
"I was happy I was able to attack, my teammates give me the confidence to play my game. Carmelo is a great player and you know he's going to make shots. Our strategy for game 1 worked but he's a great player and will make adjustments. We need to be ready for game 2. " - James said
Knicks suffered a huge setback with rookie Iman Shumpert, who injured is left knee on a non contact dribble move. Shumpert has been the Knicks best perimeter defender and is set to undergo further testing on his knee.
Game Notes
- Miami attempted 22 more free throw attempts
- Iman Shumpert is expected to undergo a MRI on his left knee later today
- Knicks tied their all time playoff scoring low of 67 points
- Heat shot 48% for the game
- Jeremy Lin was going through shooting drills before the game but is not expected to play in the series
- In unrelated news Derrick Rose tore his ACL against the 76ers today and is done for the season