NBA

Knicks can’t afford another bad game by Anthony

MIAMI — Carmelo Anthony was voted Player of the Month in the NBA for the dazzling numbers he put up in April. Someone should tell him the month isn’t over yet.

The Knicks’ ugly 100-67 loss to the Heat in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series can’t all be blamed on Anthony. But his virtual no-show performance offensively certainly contributed to the Knicks looking overmatched yesterday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

If the showdown between old pals Anthony and LeBron James was a heavyweight fight, it would have been stopped early. James poured in 32 points, and Anthony was limited to just 11 on 3-of-15 shooting. It was a horrible start for Anthony, who had averaged 29.8 points a game during April and came into this first-round series bubbling with confidence.

“I’ve got to do a lot of things better,” Anthony said afterward. “The shot wasn’t falling, turning the ball over. It was just one of them days. I didn’t play well. For me, I have to make the adjustments for [tomorrow].”

This is no news flash. But the Knicks have zero chance to win this series with Anthony playing the way he did yesterday. The Heat surprised him by fronting him early the game with James doing most of the defensive work. When Anthony did get the ball, two or three defenders would flash across his face. Those rare moments when he was able to work free for an open shot, most of them clanged off the rim.

He missed his first seven field-goal attempts, finishing just 1-of-8 for the first half. His lone field goal came with just 2:07 remaining in the first half when he made an 18-foot jump shot. By then James was off to a stellar start, pumping energy into his team and the home crowd.

Anthony, who scored 42 points in a 93-85 loss to the Heat on April 15 at the Garden, credited Miami’s defensive game plan for much of his troubles.

“They made some major adjustments out there, fronting me, sending me down to the bigs, showing me two or three at a time,” he said. “It was an adjustment that they made. Now it’s time for us to make our adjustments.”

The pace of the game was played to the Heat’s liking, a fast-paced shootout fueled by the 24 turnovers the Knicks committed. Perhaps it was heavy legs from a hectic regular-season schedule that ended Thursday in Charlotte, prompting an immediate flight to Miami. But Anthony and the Knicks looked a full step slower than the Heat, who appear charged to make another run to the NBA Finals.

“Their game plan was to speed us up,” Anthony said. “We were rushing a lot of things out there offensively. We never found a rhythm.”

The Knicks’ health is back on the critical list with Iman Shumpert going down with a left knee injury and Baron Davis’ back issues flaring up again. That will put more pressure on Anthony to produce against the swarming Heat defense.

“We’re going to make adjustments,” Anthony said. “I’m going to make adjustments. It’s a long series. It’s only Game 2 [tomorrow]. We have a whole day to figure out of some things.

“It’s just a matter of finding my spot out there. I’m pretty sure they’re going to stick with the same game plan because it worked. It’s up to us as a team to make our adjustments.”

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra already is banking on Anthony to be a force in Game 2.

“He’ll make adjustments,” Spoelstra said. “He’s too good of a player and a shot maker. He’ll find ways to get open and put some pressure on our defense.”

If only it were that easy.