Baron Davis was talking about his prospects for next season. On April 5 in Orlando, the Knicks point guard said he felt he would be healthier and better after a summer of weight-lifting — a training method he had been unable to perform because of back issues.
That dream has ended. Davis’ next season is lost and his career is in jeopardy.
Yesterday’s MRI exam revealed the horror of the right-knee injury Davis suffered in Sunday’s Game 4 victory over the Heat. Davis, 33, has a partial tear of the patella tendon and complete tear of the ACL and MCL. He will be out 12 months, and that may mean his career is over.
Davis crumpled to the court when his knee buckled on a fast break in the third quarter. Fans chanted his name as he lay on the floor, and he eventually was rolled off on a stretcher. Davis smiled at the chants and pointed to the crowd, obviously touched.
After Sunday’s game, Amar’e Stoudemire said he “almost shed a tear on the court.’’
Carmelo Anthony said, “We miss him already. Our No. 1 soldier went down in the heat of the battle.’’
It’s unlikely the Knicks would have re-signed Davis, whose stint was marred by injuries. Davis returned from a herniated disk in late February, but was impaired by a hamstring pull and knee swelling. He inherited the starting point-guard position after Jeremy Lin’s knee injury March 24.
➤In an odd scene from Game 4, J.R. Smith raced over to Anthony to converse amid the celebration following Anthony’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 54 seconds left. It appeared the two had words during the ensuing Miami timeout.
Anthony had been upset at Smith over the prior defensive possession, and Smith was explaining himself.
“We had a miscommunication on the defensive end,’’ Smith said. “I was supposed to switch over to LeBron [James]. I couldn’t hear, it was so loud, so I didn’t switch and he got the wide open 3.’’
➤ Point guard Mike Bibby, who has extra motivation in the series facing his former team, is set to make his first start of the series in Game 5. Bibby was the Heat’s starting point guard during their playoff run last spring but petered out in the Finals. He has appeared in 104 playoff games.