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Closer Look Carter's controversial shot sets Knicks' karma in balance
Posted: Saturday May 13, 2000 10:06 AM
By Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated NEW YORK -- Latrell Sprewell wore a resigned expression. Patrick Ewing was his usual stoic self. Marcus Camby even managed to smile a little. The Knicks had just lost a heartbreaking Game 3 to the Heat on Friday night -- putting them in a precarious 2-1 hole in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series -- but they were keeping a brave face in the aftermath of the painful defeat. "Definitely a tough one to lose, but it's not like it's a Game 7 situation," Camby said in the subdued New York locker room. "We can't hang our heads." "We feel like we should have won the game," Sprewell shrugged. "We just didn't execute at the end." Added Ewing: "We have never done anything easy around here." Who says the Knicks don't rebound? If their postgame reaction to Heat reserve point guard Anthony Carter's miracle around-the-Empire State Building, through the Lincoln Tunnel, over-the-backboard, nothing-but-net shot Friday night was any indication, New York will rebound mentally just fine. Whether they will actually box out a guy in a black uniform and grab a few more missed shots remains to be seen. For the third straight contest Miami won the backboard battle in Game 3, hammering the hapless Knicks 45-34 overall, including 16-5 on the offensive end. Led by Alonzo Mourning's six offensive pulls, the Heat managed to overcome woeful 36.5% shooting of their own to steal the victory. "Give Miami credit," Sprewell said. "They boxed us out all night and kept us off the boards." Miami also parlayed a hard-nosed rotating defense to stifle New York's offense yet again, limiting the Knicks to 40.6% shooting and just 12 points in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile the Miami bench outscored its New York counterparts 21-6. "They're doing things to us defensively and we're not responding," Knicks guard Chris Childs admitted. "We're taking too much time in the backcourt getting into our plays. Sometimes there's like only 10 seconds left [on the shot clock] and we're just starting the play." Despite the problems, the Knicks didn't appear at all to be a worried team Friday night. To a man they seemed to shrug it off and vowed to come back Sunday with a better effort. Maybe it's because they finally got Sprewell (23 points) and Allan Houston (24) back on track offensively. Or maybe it's because they led by four in overtime and still had a chance to win on the final play at the buzzer before Heat guard Bruce Bowen deflected a pass away from Sprewell. "If that pass gets over Bruce Bowen's hands, we win the game," said Sprewell. "I had a layup." Or maybe New York just feels like it has now paid off its debt to the hoops gods for last year's miracle shot by Houston that knocked out the Heat in the playoffs a year ago. After all Carter's shot marked the second straight home defeat to the Heat on a prayer (see Tim Hardaway) normally seen only in a backyard game of H-O-R-S-E. Instant karma can't possibly get them again. Can it?
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