So…the Heat Have to Play the Knicks

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The picture above is New York Head Coach Mike Woodson, wondering where he’ll coach next.

I thought of different writer-y ways of tackling this post but scrapped them all. I didn’t want to waste your time so I’ll get right to it.

The Knicks (21-36) are horrible and Miami (40-14) has to play them. They’re on the schedule and it’s just that simple.

To go on about why New York is playing so poorly would be exhausting. Writers more familiar with their trash dump of a season have tried and to no avail. There’s just too many problems and no clear solutions.

Here’s a quick recap for those of you living under a rock:

• They’ve battled injuries this season
• Their salary cap situation is terrifying and their management has ruined the franchise for years (and for years to come)
• The players have stopped trying and Carmelo Anthony, arguably one of the top 5 players in the league, is putting up bloated numbers because no one else can or will
• Coach Woodson might be a decent person but, by all accounts, is a mind-numbingly poor decision-maker and his control over the team is nonexistent – the inmates are running the asylum
• And Raymond Felton, aside from being fat and lazy, has provided an additional distraction by dragging his personal affairs into the public and potentially facing years in prison for an alleged incident with a gun, his wife and his mistress

Ah, for the good ol’ days when all you had to worry about was who would fight who (or is it “whom”?) and face possible suspension.

On the plus side, LeBron James is expected to return to the floor on Thursday, having practiced on Wednesday while recovering from his broken nose. As per ESPN’s Michael Wallace (via Twitter):

While the protective mask is sure to be a slight issue, James is expected to keep performing at an MVP-level.

Despite the Knicks’ hot-mess, it’s still a game that could be competitive. New York has beaten Miami previously and this opportunity to knock off the Heat provides a great motivation. There’s a very good chance it could come down to the wire and ‘Melo and Co. could escape AmericanAirlines Arena with a win.

And it wouldn’t surprise me if half the Knicks roster was arrested on South Beach later that night, celebrating the win. Or the loss. Because Knicks.

The telecast of this game begins at 8 P.M. on TNT from the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. Check back with AllUCanHeat for a recap after the game.