The Miami Heat made a huge splash in the trading deadline, acquiring Goran Dragic from the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster deal. They will look for Dragic to make an immediate impact later tonight when they travel to Madison Square Garden to face the hapless New York Knicks.
Who will emerge victorious in this Eastern Conference clash? Read on below for a preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Toronto Raptors and the Atlanta Hawks here.
The Miami Heat entered the All-Star break on a sour note after suffering an embarrassing 113-93 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 11. It was the sixth loss for Miami in its last eight games as they entered the week-long break with a 22-30 record and a precarious one-game lead in the race for the all-important eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
[sc:NBA240banner ]With superstar Dwyane Wade out of the lineup for the seventh straight game because of a hamstring injury, the Heat found it difficult to keep up with the high-scoring Cavaliers. A total of seven Cleveland players scored in double-figures, including all five of its starters.
One aspect of their game that the Heat missed Wade’s services against Cleveland is in their transition offense. After scoring 17 transition points in the first half in the Cavs game, the Heat went scoreless in the open court in the second half. The Heat are averaging just 7.9 fast break points per game over their last seven outings.
The good news for Miami is that Wade is ready to return to the Heat later tonight. Wade has been a vital cog in the Miami offense this season, leading the team not only in points (21.4 PPG) but also in assists as well (5.4 APG). His absence was one of the main reasons why the Heat struggled in the assist department this season, dishing out just 20.1 dimes per game, the second-worst mark in the NBA.
The Heat addressed that specific problem before the trade deadline, however, acquiring guard Goran Dragic in a trade with the Phoenix Suns. Dragic is one of just three players averaging at least 18 points and five assists a game while shooting 50 percent from the field since the start of last season.
The two other players in that list are MVP winners LeBron James and Kevin Durant. That’s elite company indeed.
Now that the glitz and glamour of All-Star weekend is finally over, it’s back to reality for the long-suffering New York faithful. The second half of the season is well underway and fans will have to bear 29 more games from this Knicks side that has disappointed on so many levels this year.
The Knicks entered the All-Star break with an abysmal 10-43 slate, the worst record in the league this season. The Knicks capped their horrible first half with an 89-83 loss to the Orlando Magic on February 11 to extend their losing streak to five games.
Jason Smith was the lone bright spot for the Knicks in that game, scoring 25 points and grabbing seven boards for New York. Smith has picked up his play in New York’s last 10 games, averaging 12 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Knicks during that period.
He needs to carry the scoring cudgels even more with the news that star forward Carmelo Anthony will be shut down for the remainder of the season because of a knee injury. It has been an injury-plagued season for the two-time Olympic gold medalist with Anthony playing in just 40 games this year. His presence will be sorely missed, though, as he led the Knicks in scoring this season, averaging 24.2 points per game.
In fact, Anthony scored 31 big points in New York’s 86-79 loss to Miami last November, their only meeting thus far this season. Head coach Derek Fisher will need to find new ways to generate some offense for a Knicks team that is second-worst in the league in scoring this season, averaging just 92.5 points per game.
The onus then is on Langston Galloway and Tim Hardaway Jr. to step up their game now that Anthony is done for the year. Both players are averaging 11.1 points per game for the Knicks this campaign.
