NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 29: (R) Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks and (L) Jeremy Lin #17 of the New York Knicks during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on February 29, 2012 in New York City. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)The New York Knicks squeaked by with a 113-112 win in Atlanta this afternoon over the Hawks. On the final play of the game, the Hawks’ Marvin Williams missed a dunk that would not have counted as time ran out before the ball left his hands, while being harassed in the air by the Knicks tandem of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. Melo had 39 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a hotly contested game between two teams that have already clinched playoff spots. The Hawks shot 15-23 from 3-point range to keep the game close throughout, with Williams finishing with 29 points and 11 rebounds.In his second game back in action, missing 13 games over the last month after suffering a bulging disc back injury, Stoudemire had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Landry Fields showed up big for the Knicks which they’ll need in the playoffs, shooting well and scoring 18 points. Lack of a second consistent scorer probably cost the Knicks a win a week ago against their likely opponent in the playoffs’ first round, the Miami Heat. Anthony had 43 points against Miami, but with the game on the line the Heat’s three star players, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh overcame a Knick 4-point lead early in the fourth quarter to regain and maintain the edge the rest of the way. Atlanta occupies the 5th seed and is likely to play the Boston Celtics in the opening round.
There has been no mention thus far as to whether Jeremy Lin will be able to return for the playoffs, although he reportedly had stitches removed from knee surgery early last week. With no Lin or Stoudemire, Anthony has virtually carried the team to playoff eligibility by finally playing in New York like a superstar, with an all-around floor game, especially over the past three weeks. However, there is a glaring need for consistent point guard play if New York is going to be a force in playoff competition. Ironically, that has been their Achilles heel all year, except for the brief period that “Lin-sanity” reigned over the metropolitan area. Their opponents obviously knew that and started to play rough against Lin, whenever he came inside, penetrating the paint whether attempting to score or pass.
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