Melo can't do it alone in loss to Heat

Melo can't do it alone in loss to Heat

Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News

Carmelo Anthony scores a game-high 42 points Sunday, but it’s not enough against LeBron James (below) and the Heat in a 93-85 loss.

HEAT 93, KNICKS 85

If the strategy is designed for Carmelo Anthony to score between 40 and 50 points per game, this could be a short playoff run for the Knicks assuming, of course, they reach the postseason.

There is no denying that Anthony, one of the NBAs elite scorers, has flourished under Mike Woodson, especially since replacing injured Amare Stoudemire at power forward. But there is only so much he can do by himself.

If ever there was any doubt that two superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are better than one, it was dispelled Sunday.

Their one great player, Wade said, played great.

Anthonys teammates, however, didnt do nearly enough scoring as Miami rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Knicks, 93-85, in a possible first-round playoff preview. The loss, the Knicks first at the Garden in 10 games, dropped them back into eighth place, a half-game behind Philadelphia.

Perhaps the Heat did the Knicks a favor by pushing them into eighth, where Anthony and Co. would face a possible first-round series with Chicago. The Knicks at least beat t he Bulls once in four meetings this year. Miami completed the three-game series sweep and although Mike Woodsons team is being touted as a dark horse in the Eastern Conference, the bottom line is that the Knicks are 1-6 against the Bulls and Heat.

Itll be a battle, Anthony said of what potentially lies ahead in the playoffs. We feel very confident going against anybody right now, regardless of who it is. Our confidence is sky high. Well learn from this game and get better.

Anthonys scoring presence he produced 42 of the Knicks 85 points gives the Knicks a punchers chance against anyone. His 42 points were the most by a Heat opponent this season. He also scored 43 last Sunday in an overtime win against Chicago. But the absence of a bona-fide secondary scorer and suspect point guard play will come back to hurt the Knicks.

Stoudemire missed his 11th straight game with a bulging back disc and there is no guarantee that he will be back.

J.R. Smith (16 points) was the only other Knick in double figures, while the other four starters Landry Fields, Tyson Chandler, Baron Davis and Iman Shumpert combined for 19 points on 8-for-23 shooting. Anthony shot 14-for-27 and was 12-for-15 from the line.

I cant complain about the way were playing, guys, Woodson said after the Knicks fell to 31-29. Im not going to let one game determine the rest of the season.

But the season could be determined by two troublesome areas: health and point guard play. Chandler bumped his left knee in the third quarter and although he was able to finish the game, the veteran center was clearly in pain and limping noticeably afterwards. Chandler said hes not scheduled to have an MRI and his status for Tuesdays home game against Boston is unclear.

Even if Chandler is healthy, he cant run the point. That is the job of Davis, who has too many bumps and bruises to list. He played 27 minutes on Sunday and went 1-for-6 with five turnovers. Mike Bibby was 0-for-1 in five minutes while Toney Douglas was a DNP.

Miamis point guard situation isnt much better but they have two players James and Wade who can run the offense and make plays. James finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds while Wade scored eight of his 28 points in the final eight minutes. Miami, which is all but locked into the second seed in the East, improved to 42-17.

"They are explosive," Steve Novak said. "We kept it close but they hit shots."

After Smith stole the ball from Wade and finished the play with a dunk, the Knicks had their largest lead 79-75 with 8:08 to play. But the Knicks went 2-for-11 with three turnovers the rest of the way as the Heat closed out the game on an 18-6 run, with James and Wade combining for 12 points. Anthony was 2-for-7 in the fourth and Smith 1-for-5.

Still, Anthony believes that the way the Knicks are finishing up the season theyre 13-5 under Woodson is a sign that the team is coming together and that it can make a run at either Chicago or Miami.

"Oh, absolutely," he said. "To the guys that weve been playing, the teams weve been playing against, weve shown the identity of our team, how we play, how were gonna play, from now until the end of the season and in the postseason."