Fisher Fired by New York Knicks

Knicks coach Derek Fisher has paid for his team’s bad run with his job, being fired after less than two years in New York.

A five-game losing streak left the Knicks 1-9 in their last 10 games, and team president Phil Jackson decided to make the call to “relieve Fisher of his coaching duties,” as the team website reported. Assistant coach Kurt Rambis will take over in the interim.

The Knicks are 23-31 this season after going 17-65 in Fisher’s first season. New York’s bad form contributed to the decision, but the Knicks felt Fisher was not making the switch from player to coach effectively.

Fisher leaves New York with an overall record of 40-96.

The former Lakers guard, who had no previous head coaching experience, took over from Mike Woodson, who went 109-79 in parts of three seasons in New York. Woodson, however, won only one playoff series. The Knicks currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference.

Brian Shaw and Luke Walton are among the names linked to the vacant head coach position. The Knicks haven’t won a title since the 1972-73 season.

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Knicks Early Suffers Gunshot in Uber Car

New York Knicks small forward Cleanthony Early was held up at gunpoint and shot in the right leg during an early-morning attack in Queens on Wednesday.

Early, 24, who had played 29 seconds in the Knicks’ 108-96 victory over the Pistons earlier that night, was shot in his right leg while travelling in an Uber car, detectives said. The attack took place at about 4am after Early left a strip club in the Maspeth neighborhood of Queens.

According to the New York Daily News, Early, 24, was surrounded by four to six people wearing ski masks and robbed of his items and jewelry – including a gold necklace and gold caps on his teeth, sources said. Early was taken to Elmhurst hospital in stable condition, and was later being transported to another hospital. His injury does not appear to be life-threatening.

“We are aware of what occurred with Cleanthony Early this morning and are relieved that he is not in a life-threatening situation,” the Knicks said in a statement. “We ill not comment any further until we receive more information.”

Early, who grew up in the Bronx, is in his second season with the Knicks. He was drafted in 2014 after attending Wichita State.

The theft comes about 10 days after Knicks forward Derrick Williams was robbed of $617,000 in jewelry from his home. He had taken home two women from a Manhattan club. Police are still looking for suspects.

Williams has declined to comment on the theft, but the case raised questions about whether NBA players should have a curfew like other professional sports. In April, Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland, his girlfriend and another woman were stabbed following a late-night argument on the street near a Manhattan nightclub.

Knicks coach Derek Fisher was asked about the policy at a news conference after Williams was robbed.

“I don’t really have to get into our policies of what you can and can’t do,” he told reporters last week. “We don’t have a curfew like in the NFL or other sports do on certain nights. It’s an unfortunate incident.”

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All Ejection as Bulls Knick Win

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Bottled up by the Bulls and baffled by the officials, Carmelo Anthony expected to spend the final minutes of the Knicks' loss alone in the locker room.

Turns out the early exodus of Knicks was just beginning.

Anthony was called for his second technical, earning an automatic ejection, with 6:45 left after he was whistled for a foul on Joakim Noah's offensive rebound and apparently said something to referee Olandis Poole.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson and centre Tyson Chandler were also ejected from the foul-filled game, and Chicago beat New York for the second time this season, 110-106 on Friday night.

Anthony finished with 29 points on 10-of-25 shooting, ending his streak of four straight 30-point games. The Knicks lost for the second time in three home games after winning their first 10.

Chandler and Noah were tossed after a fourth-quarter altercation, shortly after Woodson had been ejected following his second technical. The coach drew a loud ovation during his walk to the back from Knicks fans who angrily booed the officiating for much of the second half.

"I was actually in here, and then I just heard the crowd screaming and yelling, and I walked to the hallway, and Woody was walking back. Then I was actually in the shower, came back and Tyson was sitting right next to me," Anthony said. "So once I saw that, that's how the night was going."

"Things happen," Noah said. "Things happen, but we won the basketball game. I wish that we wouldn't have gotten ejected. Two guys just trying to go for a rebound and unfortunately guys got ejected."

When asked specifically about a possible suspension, the emotional centre seemed incredulous.

"Suspension?" Noah said. "For what? What did I do?"

"They were tangled up," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of the play. "Jo played a great game until ... you can't put it in the officials' hands and we should have all recognised that. They had enough, they weren't taking anybody talking to them. I think (Noah) was trying to make a point and he got thrown (out) so that hurt us."

Luol Deng had season highs of 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls despite briefly leaving the game with an injured left shoulder. He will be re-evaluated Saturday. Marco Belinelli added 22 points as Chicago won for the fourth time in five games.

Noah finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in completely outplaying Chandler, who took only one shot and was limited to five points and eight boards.

Chandler insisted he and Noah didn't fight and shouldn't have been ejected from a game that featured nine technicals.

"It was just an ugly game in general and then things contributed from there," Chandler said.

Kirk Hinrich had 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Bulls, who were totally shutting the Knicks down until allowing 45 mostly meaningless points in the fourth quarter after Chicago had led by 25 in the third.

"You get a 25-point lead on the road against a team like this, you're doing a lot of good things," Thibodeau said. "I'm disappointed with our approach and discipline in the fourth quarter, starting with my fourth-quarter technical. So we gave up 45 points and that's not good. That's not the way we want to close a game."

The Knicks were held to season lows of 85 points and 32.1 percent shooting in an eight-point loss in Chicago on Dec. 8, when Anthony was sidelined by a cut on his finger that required stitches. Woodson said before the game he thought the Knicks got good shots that night and just missed them, expecting his team would deliver a better performance at home with Anthony in the lineup.

Instead, the Knicks were never really in the game on a rare off night from Anthony, the NBA's second-leading scorer. The score got close in the final minutes, but the outcome had long been decided.

Once the game got away from the Knicks, so did their emotions, questioning calls that were made or arguing for ones that weren't. Chandler and Noah were battling for a rebound when they got tangled up and began jawing, and may have even made contact with their heads before they were separated.

"(Things) were definitely escalating, but I don't think they're used to being down that much, too," Noah said. "If they were up 20 points, I don't think they would have been that frustrated."

The fans weren't happy, either. Spike Lee stood a couple of feet behind referee Zach Zarba from his courtside seat in the fourth quarter, staring a hole through Zarba after one call went against the Knicks.

The Knicks had much bigger problems than the officiating.

They missed 10 of their first 11 shots as Chicago raced to a 14-2 lead. The advantage grew to 30-17 when Deng made a 3-pointer, and Belinelli followed with a free throw after Anthony was called for a technical foul after arguing a no-call on the other end. New York got it down to 30-23 when J.R. Smith made a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer.

"I think from the jump they were the more physical team from the beginning of the game and it carried out throughout the whole game. It kind of got to us a little bit," Anthony said. "We reacted rather than coming out from the jump being the more aggressive team and we found ourselves in a hole, and by the time we tried to be aggressive it was a little bit too late at that point in time."

The Knicks cut it to 42-37 midway through the second quarter before their offense stalled again. Chicago scored 12 straight points, taking its biggest lead at 54-37 on a free throw by Carlos Boozer with 10.9 seconds remaining, before Anthony stopped the Knicks' 5-minute scoreless drought with a driving layup with 3.2 seconds to go.

Smith had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to 19-7. Their 19 wins through 25 games was bettered only twice in franchise history, when they were 23-2 in 1969-70 and 20-5 in 1972-73. They won the NBA title both times.

Deng appeared to hurt his left shoulder in the third quarter when Jason Kidd reached in on him, but returned to the game after using a heating pad on the bench.

"We're going to check again (Saturday), but I don't know exactly what it is," Deng said. "Something with the ligament there, I don't know if I sprained or ... we'll see. It's almost like a pulled muscle. I never had anything like this, but it just feels like a pulled muscle or a sprained tendon. I really don't know."

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New York Knick Hornets

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Carmelo Anthony spun around Darius Miller on the dribble and pulled up in the lane as he was bumped hard and knocked off balance by Hornets 7-footer Jason Smith.

Anthony's 7-foot floater still dropped in for the front end of a three-point play that gave him 19 points in the first quarter alone. He set the tone once again for a Knicks team that is showing the potential to be as good as any New York fans have seen in a generation.

Anthony finished with 29 points and the Knicks extended the undermanned Hornets' losing streak to four games with a 102-80 victory Tuesday night.

"It was good to get it going early," Anthony said. "Any time you can start off on the road like that, in the first quarter like that, it gives us a lot of confidence."

Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith each added 15 points. Felton scored all of his points on five 3-pointers as New York hit 14 3s as a team.

Tyson Chandler grabbed 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who've won two straight since their first loss of the season and are 8-1 for only the third time in franchise history. The other two times, the 1969-70 and 1972-73 seasons, they won championships.

If Anthony, now averaging 24.2 points per game, keeps playing the way he has started this season, Chandler sees no reason why the comparisons to the championship teams of decades ago won't continue as the season wears on.

"We are playing the best basketball (in the league), and it's because of him," Chandler said of Anthony. "He is playing all over the floor on both ends. He should be at the top of the race as far as MVP goes right now."

Ryan Anderson, starting in place of Anthony Davis, led the Hornets with 15 points. Davis was ruled out shortly before tip-off because of tenderness in his left ankle.

Rookie Austin Rivers added a career-high 14 points and Brian Roberts 13 for New Orleans.

"Just from watching the game, I didn't think we believed we could win," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "We made a lot of youthful plays. I thought we took some very tough shots against a very good team and you can't do that."

It might not have mattered much if the Hornets had Davis' shot blocking ability at their disposal. The Knicks scored only 20 points in the paint, but still shot 44.6 percent (37 of 83) thanks to stellar jump shooting. They finished 14 of 36 (38.9 percent) from 3-point range.

"We have guys that can make outside shots," Anthony said. "When we find them, we move the ball, sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn't. Tonight was one of those nights that it was going in."

The Knicks came in attempting just more than 26 3s a game this season and seem to have figured out the art of positioning themselves for long rebounds off of missed perimeter shots. New York had 13 offensive rebounds, 17 second-chance points and badly outrebounded New Orleans overall, 49-36.

The Knicks led most of the game, going up 12, at 29-17 at the end of the opening quarter while the Hornets went more than four minutes without scoring.

Anthony hit eight of his first nine shots, forcing the Hornets defenders to increasingly gravitate to him. Then the rest of the Knicks, namely Felton, starting cashing in on open shots.

"You can see his leadership from Day One in training camp and tonight he was setting the table for us," guard Jason Kidd said of Anthony. "He's letting the game come to him and tonight he was good all the way around."

The Knicks led by 14 early in the second quarter before the Hornets briefly made it competitive again with a 13-0 run. The spurt included two 3s by Anderson, the second giving New Orleans a 36-34 lead.

It was still as close as 43-42 late in the second quarter after a tough driving floater by Rivers, but Felton made a pair of quick 3s during an 8-0 run that also included an 18-footer by Anthony, and the Knicks were quickly back up by nine before taking a 53-48 lead into halftime.

New York then opened the third quarter on a 10-4 run that included another Anthony jumper and Ronnie Brewer's 3 to make it 63-52. The lead remained in double digits from there on, growing as large as 26 on James White's fast-break dunk in the fourth quarter.

"They hit some tough shots, but our intensity was down," Hornets guard Greivis Vasquez, who finished with 10 points. "In the first four minutes of the third quarter they were up by 20 and that's the game. We can't allow these teams to get these leads like that."

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Lin Leaves New York on $25m Rocket

New York bid farewell to "Linsanity" on Tuesday when point guard Jeremy Lin was allowed to leave for the Houston Rockets.

The Knicks had until midnight (0400 GMT) to match Houston's three-year $25.1 million (£16m) proposal for the restricted free agent, but decided the valuation was too steep for their resources.

The 23-year-old Lin exploded onto the NBA scene last season as an undrafted and overlooked Ivy League student, who briefly breathed new life into a stuttering Knicks side and made headlines around the globe for his livewire performances.

Lin's breakout campaign was cut short in March, however, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury and missed the playoffs after averaging 14.6 points and 6.1 assists in 35 regular season games.

The Los Angeles-born Asian-American had a brief spell with Houston last December, completing seven minutes of two pre-season games before he was cleared off the payroll and claimed by New York.

"Extremely excited and honored to be a Houston Rocket again!!" Lin said on Twitter shortly after the New York Knicks confirmed they wouldn't match Houston's three-year, $25 million offer for the 23-year-old player.

Lin's fate had been the subject of intense speculation since he became a restricted free agent this month.

The Knicks had vowed to match any offer Lin received, and they were widely expected to match a reported three-year, $19.5 million (£12m) offer from the Rockets.

However, Lin eventually signed the higher offer sheet from the Rockets, which includes a $14.9 million (£9.5m) scheduled payment for the third year.

That would cost the Knicks millions in luxury-tax penalties levied on excessive salaries.

Knicks star Carmelo Anthony called the offer "ridiculous," but said as recently as Monday that he hoped Lin would return to Madison Square Garden.

However, team-mate J.R. Smith said that if Lin, who has after all played only 64 games in his NBA career, was being paid such a high salary it could have led to tension in the Knicks locker room.

Over the weekend, the Knicks acquired Raymond Felton to join veteran Jason Kidd - recently obtained from Dallas - as two new point guards on the team's roster.

Lin played what proved to be his last game for the Knicks in their win over Detroit on March 24.

He suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and opted to have surgery, missing the rest of the regular season.

Lin looked close to returning in the playoffs, but didn't make it back before the Knicks were eliminated by Miami in the first round.

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Lin Could Rocket to Houston

The Houston Rockets plan to offer a contract to New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin on Wednesday, according to a report by The New York Post.

The Post, citing a league source, reports the Rockets will offer Lin a back loaded deal worth roughly $30 million. According to the same source, the deal would pay Lin $5 million in the first season, $5.2 million in the second, and then would increase to as much as $10 million per year in the third and fourth seasons.

"Jeremy Lin's an excellent player," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told The Post. "We got to know him firsthand when he was with the Rockets early this season. We think he'd make a fantastic addition to our team."

While both Lin and the Knicks are hoping for a reunion, sources have told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard that if any clubs offer Lin a back loaded contract that pays him an eight-figure salary in the third and fourth years, the Knicks could be hesitant to match the offer.

With the new collective bargaining agreement employing a more punitive luxury tax beginning in the 2013-14 season, the Knicks are concerned about the financial ramifications of such a deal.

The Knicks can offer Lin a four-year deal worth $24.5 million. In 35 games with the Knicks last season, Lin averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists per game.

New York Knicks v Miami Heat

The final horn sounded, and LeBron James wrapped his arms around Carmelo Anthony in a warm embrace. Their head-to-head scoring matchup in this series was even, 139 points apiece.

Just about everything else tipped Miami's way -- so the Heat are moving on and the New York Knicks are going home.

James had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade both scored 19 points and the Heat ousted the short-handed Knicks 106-94 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first-round series Wednesday night.

The Heat won the series 4-1, and will meet Indiana in the East semifinals starting Sunday in Miami.

"We do not take this for granted," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "This was a tough series. We feel very good about moving on and it'll only get tougher from here."

For the Heat, it was only the first step. The reigning East champions have one goal -- getting back to the finals and winning it all -- and that was likely why even beating the franchise's longtime rival prompted, at most, a subdued celebration.

"We will savor this win tonight," James said. "And then we get to work tomorrow and get ready for Indiana."

Anthony scored 35 points for the Knicks, including a spinning jumper over James at the end of the third quarter that pulled New York within 81-67. It was far from being enough to stave off an all too familiar playoff result for Anthony, part of that 2003 draft class that also yielded James, Bosh and Wade.

Anthony has played 54 postseason games, being part of wins only 17 times. A misleading stat for certain -- it's hardly all on him -- and no shortage of people in the Heat organization interrupted their celebrating of a series-clincher to tip their caps Anthony's way afterward.

"We fought, under the circumstances," Anthony said. "I'm not one to make any excuses for anything. ... But Miami, they're a tough defensive team. They stick to what their schemes are."

James shot 48 percent from the field in the series; Anthony shot 42 percent. James averaged 6.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists; Anthony averaged 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

"It was fun, man," James said. "He's one of the most competitive players I've ever played against in a playoff series."

Amare Stoudemire scored 14 points, Landry Fields and J.R. Smith both added 12, Mike Bibby had 10 and Tyson Chandler grabbed 11 rebounds for New York, which is 1-8 in playoff games with Anthony and Stoudemire as teammates.

"Miami is a very good team," Stoudemire said. "You have to give credit to them."

Stoudemire fouled out with 4:48 left, and the Knicks put together one more run with hopes of extending the season. New York cut the margin to 11 points four times in a 2-minute span, but Miami answered every time, the last of those a 3-pointer by Shane Battier with 54 seconds left.

That sent the white seat covers flying in all corners of the arena, the fans knowing it was finally over.

"There's a lot of pride that takes place in this kind of series," Wade said. "Even though it was a five-game series, it was a very tough series to win. ... I thought it helped us. You couldn't overlook this team."

Bibby averaged 0.5 points in first-quarter appearances this season. That was before scoring eight in the opening minutes of Game 5, including a jumper over Wade that gave New York a quick 14-8 lead.

It was one of New York's few moments to enjoy. James had 13 points on only six field-goal attempts by halftime, Wade shook off a scoreless first quarter with 12 in the second, and Miami went into the break leading 55-44.

The margin was less than 10 points for only 90 seconds of the third quarter. Stoudemire went to the bench with his fifth foul with 6:41 left in the third, and Miami went on an 11-2 spurt not long after that all but sealed the outcome. It was 67-58 when Fields made two free throws with 4:49 left in the quarter -- and then the Heat's "Big Three" needed just 3 minutes to blow the game open.

New York Knick Heat in Game 4

Amare Stoudemire raised his hands in the air, one covered in padding, as streamers fell from the ceiling above him.  Finally, New York could celebrate an NBA playoff victory again.

Carmelo Anthony scored 41 points, Stoudemire had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his return from a cut hand, and the Knicks snapped an NBA-record, 13-game postseason losing streak by beating the Miami Heat 89-87 Sunday in Game 4 of their first-round series.

"I think it's the first of many," said Stoudemire, his left arm back in a sling to keep his hand elevated. "Tonight was a great win for us, for our fans to finally get over that hump of those consecutive games that we lost, I guess the Knicks, lost over those years in the playoffs."

Anthony made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 54.5 seconds left as the Knicks overcame another serious injury to win a playoff game for the first time since beating Toronto on April 29, 2001, in Game 3 of a best-of-five series.Baron Davis dislocated his right kneecap in the third quarter, just as the Knicks were making the run that got them back into the game after a dismal first half.

"I'm just glad that we came together after that, kept our composure, kept on fighting and won the basketball game," Anthony said.

LeBron James scored 27 for the Heat, who will try to close it out in Game 5 at home on Wednesday.Dwyane Wade had 22, but missed a 3-pointer on the last possession that would have given Miami a lengthy rest before starting the second round.

"We'd love to take the week (off) but it's not in the cards for us to do that in this round," Wade said. "You know, we'll adjust. We play Wednesday in Miami at 7 o'clock. We'll be ready to play and give our fans another exciting game."

Wade's errant shot set off a loud celebration from Knicks fans whose team was on the verge of getting swept for the second straight year, and third straight time dating to 2004. It didn't look as if the elusive postseason victory would come in this series, after the Knicks had been blown out by 20 points per game in the first three games.

But they got a huge lift from Stoudemire, playing with padding over his hand just six days after he punched a fire extinguisher case after a Game 2 loss in Miami. And they got a sensational effort from Anthony, who shot 15 of 29 and was one point shy of his playoff career best after he made only 34.4 percent of his shots in the first three games.

"We stepped up to the challenge," Anthony said.

Now here comes another: The Knicks need a solution at point guard after Davis was carted off on a stretcher with his severe knee injury. Jeremy Lin is close to returning from knee surgery, but Iman Shumpert was lost with a torn knee ligament in Game 1.

A day after the Dallas team that beat them in the finals was swept by Oklahoma City, the Heat failed in their attempt for their first sweep since beating Washington in the 2005 Eastern Conference semifinals.

The series was on pace to be one of the most lopsided in NBA history through three games, but this one was within four points the entire fourth quarter, the crowd at Madison Square Garden growing louder with every play that moved the Knicks closer to their first playoff win in 11 years.

Mike Bibby's 3-pointer with 1:23 left snapped an 81-all tie, but the Heat called timeout and ran a play that freed James for a wide-open 3 that tied it again seven seconds later. On the Knicks' next possession, Anthony came far beyond the arc to receive the ball after JR Smith picked up his dribble, then dribbled forward and pulled up for a 3 that made it 87-84 with 54.5 to play.

The Heat turned it over on their next possession when Chris Bosh's pass sailed into the backcourt, and Anthony was fouled by Shane Battier attempting a 3-pointer. He made only one foul shot, and the Heat cut it to one again when James converted a three-point play while drawing Tyson Chandler's sixth foul.

Stoudemire made a free throw with 14 seconds left to make it 89-87, and Wade lost control of the ball driving into the middle on Miami's last possession. He regained it and dribbled to the corner for a 3-pointer that was off.

"I had a lane and then I kind of lost the ball. When I lost it, I knew that they'd recover by then so it made me dribble it out," Wade said. "We got the switch and I got a little step on Amare and I was about to go to my shot. I was about to go to my shot but I kind of fumbled the ball a little bit. I thought I got a good look. I thought it was going in. But it came up a little short."

Stoudemire had surgery Wednesday to repair a muscle in his left hand and the Knicks had listed him as doubtful for Sunday, but he was back on the court during practice Friday and cleared to play in Game 4.

He was back in his usual spot as the last player introduced during starting lineups, getting a loud reception, and he quickly picked the Knicks up after their sluggish start.

"He's a good player. He's a great player honestly, and he gave them the spark that they needed," James said.

The Heat jumped to an 8-1 lead, holding the Knicks without a basket for almost four minutes to start the game. Then Stoudemire had three baskets in a 12-2 spurt to give the Knicks the lead, and they were up 20-18 after one following two free throws by Anthony with 7.3 seconds left.

The game then turned into a foul-fest, with 23 called in the second period. The Heat shot 19 free throws, making 14, while the Knicks were 8 of 9. Stoudemire and Chandler both went to the bench with their third fouls, but the Heat failed to pull away even after forcing the Knicks to miss their first six shots of the period while opening a 10-point lead.

Both teams shot 33 percent in the quarter, played at a glacial pace while the teams paraded to the free-throw line. Miami led 44-38 at halftime.

Miami led 51-40 before the Knicks' offense finally got going. Stoudemire made a jumper and converted a three-point play, Anthony made a layup, and Smith stole the ball and made a 3-pointer for a quick 10-0 run.

James missed and the ball was batted up ahead to Davis, who drove in with a chance to give the Knicks the lead. But his leg buckled near the foul line and he crumbled to the court, called for a travel. Concerned teammates quickly waved for help, and Davis was wheeled off the court.

But New York regrouped and surged into the lead, going up by six late in the period before taking a 64-61 advantage to the fourth. After making only 13 baskets in the first half, the Knicks shot 10 of 20 in the third, getting 11 points from Anthony.

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Heat Knick Game One

LeBron James dropped to the floor holding the back of his head, grimacing and then staggering a bit when he reached his feet. A few moments later, he was fine.

A few moments after that, the Miami Heat had complete control of Game 1 against the New York Knicks.

James scored 32 points after shooting 10 for 14 from the field, and the Heat rode the strength of what became a 32-2 run to easily beat the Knicks 100-67 on Saturday, striking first in the series between clubs that waged classic annual battles from 1997 through 2000 and are meeting for the first time since.

Dwyane Wade added 19 points in his first game back after dislocating his left index finger.

"Our guys had a noticeable look in their eyes the last 24 hours," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We wanted to get back to the basics and play to our identity. For the most part, we were able to do that by being aggressive."

No, this wasn't redemption for falling short in last season's finals.

But for James and the Heat, it sure was a fine start.

"I'm a different player this year, a different person this year compared to last year," James said. "I've waited to get back to the postseason, prepared myself all season, throughout the offseason to get back to this point."

It was physical, it was heated -- and it was one-sided. New York's 67 points matched a franchise playoff low.

Mario Chalmers finished with 11 points and nine assists for Miami, which turned 27 New York turnovers into a franchise playoff-record 38 points. The Knicks were called for 21 fouls in the first half, Miami enjoying a 28-5 advantage in free throws attempted in the first 24 minutes alone, and centre Tyson Chandler sent James flying with what was called a flagrant foul as the Heat were blowing the game open.

J.R. Smith scored 17 for the Knicks, who lost Iman Shumpert to a torn ACL and have dropped 11 straight playoff games dating back to 2001. Carmelo Anthony missed 12 of 15 shots and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Baron Davis added 10 points for New York.

It was the worst playoff loss for the Knicks since a 126-85 defeat at Chicago on April 25, 1991.

"This series is not over," Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said. "We've got to learn from our mistakes today and get ready for Monday."

The series isn't, but Shumpert's is. The Knicks said the rookie guard also tore a lateral meniscus and would miss approximately six to eight months. Even before an MRI at a hospital, Anthony said what was obvious to anyone who saw Shumpert take a non-contact tumble in the third quarter.

"We know Shump is not going to be with us," Anthony said.

Maybe it was ironic that this game took a turn when someone who helped doom Miami in last season's finals sent the two-time MVP flying.

Chandler -- who helped Dallas win the 2011 title over Miami -- set a back pick near midcourt with 1:34 left in the half, and James never saw it coming. The original call was a flagrant-2 against Chandler, which would have meant an automatic ejection. After review, it was downgraded to a flagrant-1, so Chandler could stick around for the rest of the debacle.

Given that he spent Friday and Saturday fighting the flu, Chandler would have probably rather left anyway.

"They played really well," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said, "and we played awful."

An awful 9 minutes for the Knicks decided this one.

After all, this is a Heat-Knicks playoff series. It's almost required to have emotions boil over.

With Jeff Van Gundy and Alonzo Mourning in the building -- remember, the former Knicks coach once tugged on the Heat center's leg during one memorable Miami-New York playoff dustup -- along with Knicks assistant general manager Allan Houston, he of the game-winner to eliminate the Heat from the last playoffs following a lockout-shortened season of 1999, things got heated once again.

There were early hints that tensions were high, like Stoudemire and Udonis Haslem getting double-technicals after jawing back and forth with 4:10 left in the opening quarter. A few minutes later, after Shane Battier committed a hard foul on Anthony -- who missed his first seven shots -- Davis ran about 50 feet to give Battier a light shove.

That was all little stuff, compared to what was coming. Said Woodson: "All hell broke loose."

Mike Miller's 3-pointer with 2:22 left in the half capped a run of 13 straight points by the Heat, and they were just getting started.

After making both free throws awarded for the Chandler foul, James banked in a 20-footer from the left wing while getting hit by Smith 10 seconds later for what became a five-point possession for Miami.

"I thought it was a legal pick, honestly," Chandler said.

And James still wasn't done, first hitting a fadeaway with 48 seconds left, then a layup while getting hit by Jared Jeffries with 3 seconds left in the half.

"Spectacular," Spoelstra said of James' flurry. "His play spoke for itself. It seemed on both ends of the court he had his hands on every single play, in some form or another."

The run then was 24-2. The lead was 54-31. For good measure, the Heat scored the first eight points of the third quarter as well, making it 62-31.

"Very eager to start this series off right," Heat forward Chris Bosh said.

A bad day got even worse for the Knicks midway through the third.

Shumpert -- who started the final 17 games of the regular season after Jeremy Lin had knee surgery -- was carried off the court by teammates after going down in almost the exact spot as where the Chandler-James collision took place.

Shumpert was bringing the ball up the right sideline and tried to dribble behind his back when he pulled up and immediately grabbed at his left knee. He was brought into the Knicks' locker room for evaluation, and as he was lifted from the floor Anthony looked at the scoreboard, shaking his head in disbelief.

Absolutely everything was going Miami's way.

"We're just trying to play our game," Wade said, "trying to come out and take care of business."

James provided the exclamation point with 1.4 seconds left in the third quarter.

He made a 3-pointer over Anthony, and then got the fourth quarter off. Through three quarters, the entire Knicks roster had only outscored James by 15, and Miami took an 81-47 lead into the final 12 minutes.

"I think the Miami Heat right now are feeling great about their performance," Stoudemire said. "Which they should."

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