A powerful dose of confidence awaited the Knicks yesterday at Madison Square Garden, where they entered the day having won their last nine games.
A win over the Heat would have served a critical dual purpose for the Knicks: It would have enhanced their tenuous playoff position with the regular season bleeding toward its end and it would have sent a mind-game message to their rivals from South Florida, whom they might face in the first round of the playoffs.
But the result — a 93-85 Heat win that killed the buzz of anticipation in the Garden — might have worked in reverse, boosting the confidence of the Heat, which came to New York facing a mini-crisis, having lost its last two road games and four of its last five away from home.
So when it was over yesterday and you listened to the Heat players speak, you got the distinct impression that, despite the fact that Miami is firmly entrenched as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the win was crucial for their confidence going forward — particularly if they have to face the Knicks in the opening round of the playoffs.
“That’s what made this game a lot more important — the fact that we might see them in playoffs,’’ Miami’s Chris Bosh (16 points, 14 rebounds) said. “We don’t want to give them any confidence — none whatsoever. We wanted to give ourselves all the confidence, so we felt this was a big game for us.’’
Bosh called the way the Heat finished — erasing a 79-75 deficit with 8:08 remaining with an 18-6 run to close the game — “most important, not offensively, but defensively.’’
“Our defense stepped up; we gave them one shot every time down the floor and as we did that it built our confidence up whether we admit it or not,’’ Bosh said.
“This game came at a good time for us,’’ Dwyane Wade (28 points) said. “We were struggling to play a complete game on the road and what better place to come in and focus than here? This team [the Knicks] has been playing well and they can embarrass you if you don’t play your game.’’
Heat coach Eric Spoelstra sounded giddy about the way the game unfolded, indicating the Knicks had his team’s attention despite the disparity in the standings.
“It was great to come on the road and have a game that feels like this, where there is a level of healthy concern coming into the game,’’ Spoelstra said. “That’s what we should have — not a panic or a worry, but a healthy concern about how you are playing and owning up to it and for the respect of the opponent.’’
Several Heat players expressed a healthy respect for the Knicks as team that has their attention with the playoffs approaching.
“This was a important game,’’ Miami’s Shane Battier said. “We respect New York. They’ve had a bizarre year in a lot of regards with ‘Linsanity’ and the injuries they’ve faced, but we respect that they’re dangerous.’’
Added Wade: “Obviously, I know this can be a first-round [playoff] matchup, so this was a good time for us. We came here to right the ship and this was one of our better games.’’
More than the Heat did, the Knicks needed yesterday to be one of their better games. Can you imagine their level of confidence entering the postseason had they beat the Heat?
Instead, it all worked in reverse for them.