NEW YORK -- Amid the ruins of ruthless hurricane Sandy, the New York Knicks rose Friday night at the Madison Square Garden.
With Carmelo Anthony firing 30 and five teammates notching double figures in points, the Knicks blew the defending champion Miami Heat out of the building with a resounding 104-84 beating.
The Knicks, whose season debut against the Brooklen Nets at the Barclays Center was canceled Thursday night, is 1-0 while pushing the bitter rivals Heat to 1-1. Miami dispatched Boston on Opening Night last October 3, when LeBron James collected the first championship ring in his bejeweled pro career.
New York stormed to a 17-6 start and never looked back. A triple by Anthony with 1:14 left in the first quarter stretched the gap to 30-12, a lead the hosts did not relinquish. The Knicks shot only 36 of 84 from the field, but they buried the Heat in an avalanche of 3s --- 19 of 36 behind the arc. And Knicks missed only two of 15 free throws.
Raymond Felton set the table for New York's offense with 14 points and nine assists. Tyson Chandler anchored the defense with 10 poinrs and eight rebounds while Steve Novak sizzled from the perimeter with 17.
Miami shot fairly well from the field -- 33-of-71 for 46.5 percent -- but the 3-point shooting that is such a vital part of their attack deserted them, only 7-for-20.
LeBron James led the Heat with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but the reigning league MVP had a so-so night marred by five turnovers. Dwyane Wade managed an uninspired 15 markers while Chris Bosh -- the other piece of Miami's Big 3 -- had a respectable 12 points and 11 rebounds. (Reynaldo Seno)
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