THIS IS THE END: Baron Davis can only watch in the fourth quarter as the Heat pulled away, putting the Knicks one loss from the end of their season. (Getty Images)
The Knicks played without Amar’e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert and Jeremy Lin. As it turned out, they also played without Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony said before the game he had to be “great’’ and instead he became a great no-show.
Before a fired-up Garden crowd, the Knicks fought for three quarters but fell apart in the fourth as Anthony disintegrated and failed to lead a depleted roster to a big upset.
With Anthony’s wire-to-wire dud performance highlighting a sickly offense that shot 31.9 percent, the Knicks set the NBA record with their 13th straight playoff loss. Last time the Knicks won a playoff game — April 29, 2001 — LeBron James was a high school sophomore in Akron.
With Amar’e Stoudemire sitting on the bench in a beige suit, his arm in a sling, the Knicks got shattered during a 29-14 fourth-quarter when a foul-plagued James became his superstar self and extended this five-day, first-round nightmare.
James banged in eight straight points to start the fourth quarter, finished with 17 in the period, 32 overall and the Miami Dream Team romped to an 87-70 victory and 3-0 series lead.
The Knicks’ season should mercifully end in Game 4 Sunday at the Garden to close the landslide. At least the Garden’s fire extinguishers remained intact after this blowout.
Anthony finished with 22 empty points on a dreadful 7-for-23 shooting and five turnovers, dogged by Shane Battier.
“We’re not moping around, we’re not hanging our heads,’’ said Anthony, who is shooting 34.5 percent in the series and 36.2 percent in the playoffs as a Knick. “I am not allowing us to do that.”
He is one loss away from being bounced out of the first round for the eighth time in his nine seasons.
“I wouldn’t say they shut me down,’’ Anthony said. “I am missing shots that I normally make.’’
Melo heard groans late in the fourth after missing another jumper. Highlighting the hopelessness was several Knicks bolting the locker room before reporters arrived — even ever-optimistic guys like Steve Novak and Landry Fields.
“Offensively, we just didn’t have it,’’ said interim coach Mike Woodson, who has lost six straight playoff games by double-digits, dating to his days with the Hawks. “We were so stagnant. I have to take the blame for it.’’
The blame can largely rest on Anthony, again outclassed by James. Anthony blamed the Heat attentive D, not himself.
“I think they just try to make it hard on me,’’ Anthony said. “They make my catches hard out there. They beat me up as much as they can. They throw everything at you.’’
King James was sloppy early and committed eight turnovers. The Garden relished in his early foibles with profane chants, but James made 12-of-13 free throws and finished a respectable 9-of-21.
“Melo’s a great player, man. He’s played great basketball his whole life,’’ James said. “Shane was player of the game. He did an unbelievable job on Melo.’’
With Stoudemire out with a surgically repaired hand, Woodson turned to Novak, making his first-ever playoff start and fifth of his career. He had nothing. Novak went scoreless in 22 minutes, missing both shots.
“They did a great job not leaving him,’’ Woodson said.
Novak is no longer getting the open looks he had a month ago. Meanwhile, J.R. Smith kept firing away and shot 5-of-18, overshadowing his two crazy dunks.
“They’re too athletic and they swarm and we played right into their hands,’’ said Tyson Chandler, who had 15 rebounds and 10 points. “We have to move the ball more.’’
Dwyane Wade finished with 20 points. He took over the third quarter, scoring eight straight points, including two straight 3-pointers. Anthony, meanwhile, never got unleashed, even as James sat on the bench after picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter. The Heat moved ahead 58-53 late in the third when Anthony made a blunder in the final minute, getting stripped by Wade, who went in for a fastbreak dunk.
Melo was 1-of-4 from 3-point land and 1-of-9 on treys in the series.
“They are doubling him and forcing him into tough shots,’’ Woodson said.
Holding the Heat without a field goal for a 10:09 span, the Knicks took a 40-36 at halftime before a supercharged playoff crowd. There was a 14-0 run and an 11-point second-quarter lead.
But the fun and noise didn’t last and the season looks over.
marc.berman@nypost.com