Knicks destroyed by Heat in Game 1

MIAMI – It almost feels like the whole first-round series against the Heat came crashing down for the Knicks in one disastrous afternoon at AmericanAirlines Arena.

A flu-ridden Tyson Chandler was horrible, premier rookie guard Iman Shumpert crumpled to the court in the third quarter with a series-ending serious knee injury, Carmelo Anthony couldn’t throw the ball into South Beach’s turquoise ocean and LeBron James lit them up for real.

In a matinee humiliation and with their upset hopes taking a decided turn, the Heat built a 23-point halftime lead, an 81-47 lead after three quarters and ripped the Knicks 100-67 in Game 1 of their first-round playoffs series.

"We got hit in the mouth, we got to see what we are made of now," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said of the Knicks, who tied the record for the lowest playoff point total in the post shot-clock era.

"They played well, we played awful from the six-minute mark on (of the second quarter)."

James finished with 32 points on 10 of 14 shooting in 32 minutes after rising to the occasion when the Knicks got physical with him in the second quarter. Anthony missed his first seven shots and wound up with 11 points on 3 of 15 shooting – his matchup with James turning into a nightmare.

But the most depressing part of the shellacking is their defensive stopper Shumpert will miss six to eight months with a serious knee injury. The Knicks announced tonight he suffered a torn ACL and a torn lateral meniscus, and is expected to miss training camp.

"My prayers go out for him. We know he's not going to be with us," Anthony said of Shumpert.

With the club already down 20-plus points midway through the third quarter, Shumpert took a bad step as he dribbled against Mario Chalmers and crumpled to the court, writhing in pain, holding his left knee. He was carried off the court by fellow rookies Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan. One source said that Shumpert heard a pop when he fell to the floor.

Jeremy Lin, who is coming off knee surgery, did extra cutting drills Saturday before the game and if there is a very long series, he could be make a quicker return than his six-week timetable.

Chandler was a game-time decision and suited up despite looking haggard and played with no energy or rhythm in going scoreless in 21 minutes and committing seven turnovers. He was out of it and nearly got ejected for a hard pick on James.

J.R. Smith and Steve Novak each had big 3-pointers in the second quarter to get the Knicks within 30-29 with 6:53 left in the half. The Heat, buoyed by chippy Knicks play and James’ greatness, outscored them 24-2 the rest of the half. The Knicks completely lost their composure and got embarrassed.

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