Lebron James’ mouthguard says it all. The number sixteen, printed in roman numerals, is a constant reminder to James, and the millions watching, of the number of games his Miami Heat need to win in order to capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Two nights removed from the 33-point onslaught the Heat unleashed on the Knicks in the series’ opening contest, James and crew were back at it Monday night, defeating New York in game two to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
James, who will likely be named this season’s MVP, has certainly lived up to the title thus far. In the game one blowout, James scored 32 points in three quarters of action, all while holding Knicks star Carmelo Anthony to just eleven points on 3-15 shooting. After a physical, back-and-forth first quarter, Miami pulled away in the second behind a 24-2 run capped off by nine straight points from the King himself. Following a flagrant screen by Tyson Chandler, James knocked down the subsequent two free throws and then banked in an and-one 20-footer from the wing. The next two Heat possessions, James connected on a tough fadeaway jumper and dropped in a contested layup just before the first-half buzzer. Miami headed to the locker room with a 54-31 lead and never looked back, winning 100-67.
In game two, Dwyane Wade, who scored a rather quiet nineteen points in game one, took advantage of New York’s focus on James to notch 25 points on 11-18 shooting. Both Wade and James were continually able to get to the rim and finish or kick to the Heat’s 3-point shooters. Lebron finished with nineteen points, seven rebounds, and a game-high nine assists while playing more of the facilitator role for Miami. Chris Bosh added 21 points and provided strong defense against the Knicks’ Amare Stoudemire. Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 30 points, but attempted 26 shots, often forcing the issue instead of looking to dish to open teammates. After knocking down his first couple shots, the Knicks’ star was kept in check by James, but was able to catch fire again after Shane Battier took over the defensive assignment. New York kept the game close throughout, but was never able to overcome Miami’s big three, eventually falling in much more respectable fashion 94-104.
As if the loss was not painful enough for New York, moments after the game’s conclusion, Stoudemire reportedly punched through a glass door protecting a fire extinguisher, injuring his left hand and leaving his status for the remainder of the series in doubt. The forward, in his second season with the club, offered a sincere apology via his Twitter account following the incident, but his actions could spell disaster for a Knicks team already dealing with injuries to guards Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert. Without Stoudemire, who has officially been ruled out for Thursday’s game three, New York will turn to Jared Jeffries and little-used Dan Gadzuric for help inside.
Miami will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead as the series shifts to New York Thursday, and from what we have seen thus far, there is no reason to think they will not do just that. James has historically played very well at The Garden and given the Knicks’ now-thin front line, even more pressure is placed on the shoulders of Anthony. If the Heat can attack the rim and get New York’s bigs in foul trouble early, the game could get ugly in a hurry. With a victory in game three, Miami could look to close out the series Sunday in what would be New York’s second consecutive first round sweep.