NBA

Anthony makes open-court tackle on James

In what may have been a tribute to the Super Bowl, Carmelo Anthony laid his best open-field — OK, open-court — tackle on the Heat’s LeBron James Saturday.

“I mean, he was coming at me full speed. I got to get the first hit before he delivered a hit,” said Anthony of the play that occurred with 3:58 left in the third quarter as James bore down after a Knicks turnover. “As long as he was all right, that’s all I care about. I got the foul, I stopped him,”

Anthony said he was surprised it was ruled a shooting foul.

“I think they were kind of surprised, too. But it happens,” Anthony said after the Knicks’ 106-91 blowout loss to the Heat at the Garden. “I think they didn’t know which way to call that one.”

Told James wore an ice pack after the game, Anthony said, “I did my job then.”

James shot two free throws on the play.

“Whatever. Not the first time I’ve been tackled,” James said. “It shouldn’t be a personal foul. It’s not a basketball play. But at the same time, he sees me with a full head of steam. He’s trying to wrap me up.”

Anthony said he would have liked to have the assignment of defending James. But coach Mike Woodson chose J.R. Smith, causing James to go to work early in the post.

“He gave the assignment to J.R. tonight. We had to help,” Anthony said. “There’s nothing I can do about that. Would I love to play him? Yeah, but he gave the assignment to J.R. and we got to do a better job of helping J.R. in that area.”


Amar’e Stoudemire, after battling knee surgeries then minutes restrictions and an ankle sprain suffered in Indiana on Jan. 16, thought he was ready to return recently. So naturally, he came down with the flu.

“I’ve been feeling great for the past four days but I caught the flu,” said Stoudemire, who dressed for the Heat along with Kenyon Martin. “I was kind of on bed rest the last four days and I felt great yesterday and even better today. … It [the flu] was hideous. I was on bed rest for four days straight.”

But after a workout on Friday, Stoudemire was given the green light to return after missing seven games. Stoudemire played four minutes at the outset of the second quarter, hitting his one shot.

Martin who missed five games, had returned and then rolled his ankle again, forcing him to miss Thursday’s game. He had more impact in his return. He played 14 minutes, recording four points, two rebounds and two blocks.


Some viewed Miami as a possible landing spot for Andrew Bynum, the center who signed Saturday with Indiana.

“[We] didn’t have much of a reaction at all,” James said. “We talked about it this morning: ‘Guys, see Andrew get signed by the Pacers? Yeah, we seen it.’ ”


Tim Hardaway Jr.’s father had attended the first Heat-Knicks game at the Garden on Jan. 9 when he said he wasn’t a Knicks fan, but a fan of his son. Well, Junior said Dad couldn’t make this one. He was out scouting.


The Knicks recalled guard Toure’ Murry from his one-game assignment with the D-League affiliate Erie BayHawks. … Iman Shumpert (sprained right shoulder) missed his second straight game.


Anthony, an 85 percent free throw shooter, missed all three attempts when he was fouled on a 3-point try at 1:37 of the second quarter. … Yankees legend and noted guitarist Bernie Williams performed the National Anthem.


Tyson Chandler on the Knicks equaling last year’s total for defeats: “Obviously we didn’t come in expecting to put ourselves in this situation. But on the bright end this is the kind of year where that’s the case for a lot of teams. I feel like it’s still wide open. I looked at the standings today, and I feel like we’ve got a real opportunity to kind of shoot up to that third spot and try to get ourselves in the mix.”


Dwyane Wade’s Super Bowl pick: “A football team’s going to win.”