Carmelo Anthony makes Garden his

By the crazy, frantic, ear-splitting end, after the New York Knicks had both blown a 21-point lead and doggedly dug out of a 10-point hole, after they had hit the boards and hit the floor and raved about the defensive job rookie Iman Shumpert did on Chicago Bulls' reigning league MVP Derrick Rose -- as crazy as that sounded on an afternoon Rose scored 29 points -- Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was still the hottest hand left on the Madison Square Garden floor Sunday.

And he let everyone know it by celebrating his last 3-pointer of the game -- an overtime game-winner he rattled in from 25 feet out to beat the NBA''s winningest team -- by spinning around and screaming, "This is my house!"

"Yeah, I did say that," Anthony admitted with a laugh. "It was just that they were talking some trash out there, in the moment."

If this is a preview of what a first-round playoff showdown between the Knicks and Bulls and Anthony versus Rose, is going to be like, then bring it on.

The Garden never totally felt like Anthony's house before Sunday -- not really, no matter how often it was said just because he's the Knicks best player.

But then, Anthony never had a signature win like this since he came to New York a little more than a year ago. The 43 points he poured in Sunday were his career-high as a Knick. And the two clutch 3-pointers he hit -- one with 11.2 seconds to play to force overtime, and the second from 25 feet out and 8.2 seconds left to give the Knicks a heart-pounding 100-99 win -- were easily the two most important shots he has made since he forced the blockbuster trade that brought him from Denver.

Anthony acted like it, too. He took off on an impromptu victory lap to slap hands with some fans after the Bulls' Rose missed a driving, corkscrewing layup attempt just ahead of the final buzzer with Knicks center Tyson Chandler harassing him. The rest of the Knicks ran off their bench, celebrating, as the Garden crowd stood and roared.

"That's the way the Garden's supposed to be," Anthony said, laughing again.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty ImagesCarmelo Anthony ranked his late-game 3-pointers among the biggest big shots he's hit in his career.

What made Anthony's performance all the more impressive was Anthony did it against the team with the NBA's best record and deepest defensive front court. And he did it, though Bulls defensive guru Tom Thibodeau -- who could win his second straight coach of the year award in as many years -- sent three or four different defenders at Anthony in the course of the game, often two or three at a time.

The Knicks knew they needed to win Sunday to stay one game ahead of Milwaukee in the race for the East's last playoff spot even more than they needed to make a statement to the Bulls or see Anthony win some one-on-one individual duel with Rose.

But the Knicks accomplished all three things and -- in Anthony's estimation -- made a "big" statement heading into Tuesday's rematch in Chicago, or should the Knicks and Bulls meet in the first round of the playoffs. Which they might.

"This is one of the better teams in the whole league, but we feel that we can go out there and compete," Anthony insisted, ignoring that the Knicks are still without starters Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin (perhaps for the season), while the Bulls are 14 wins better (43-29) and finally getting healthy.

Rose was playing for the first time since missing the Bulls' previous 12 games with a groin injury. And the Knicks didn't make it easy on him. They knocked him around so often Bulls enforcer Carlos Boozer got a technical in the first quarter for purposely slamming a shoulder into Knicks center Tyson Chandler on his way to pick Rose up after one knockdown. In the second half, Rose ran off to the side of the court during another Bulls' possession, using his jersey to dab his face and check for blood after he got smacked in the mouth.

But Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson wanted the game this way. The Knicks have only 10 games left in their playoff push, and he said he told them in his pregame talk that the officials were probably going to let both teams play so, "I don't want to see any crying." And he got his wish.

"It was two teams that didn't want to lose, that was just banging and battling," Woodson said. "Unbelievable. They [the Knicks] just wouldn't give in."

The rough treatment didn't stop Rose and the Bulls from coming back at the Knicks, same as Anthony and the Knicks never stopped going back at them.

But had the Knicks lost this game after sprinting off to a 27-6 lead, they would've had to file it with the huge double-digit lead they blew against the Pacers a few games earlier, and wonder if they had the depth or wherewithal to close out wins against good teams. And they would've had to answer a lot of questions about their offense, which started strong, and then increasingly lapsed into isolation plays and too many long missed jumpers.

The Knicks had 11 assists in the first quarter; only six through the rest of the regulation and overtime.

But the Bulls missed five free throws in the last 34 seconds of regulation, two of them by Rose to go with his four missed field-goal attempts in the last 1:40 that helped keep the Knicks' alive.

Rose can surely play better than he did once he shakes the rust off.

And the Bulls' proud defense will note that Anthony will be hard-pressed to repeat what he did Sunday.

Still, for one game anyway, Anthony gave the Knicks a break from all the talk if they face either Chicago or Miami in the first-round playoffs, they'll be out in four straight games, same as Boston swept them last season.

Afterward, Anthony didn't try to downplay how important this game or his heroics were. He was asked where he'd rank his two game-deciding 3-pointers among the many big shots he's hit in his career, and he said without hesitation, "One of the top."

Rose was in the house Sunday at the Garden. But Anthony made himself a home.

The Masters 2012: day four live

15.00 Happy Easter, everyone; but more importantly, Happy Sunday at Augusta. Forget all the talk about resurrections, chocolate and bunny rabbits - today is all about the Masters.

It's about whether Peter Hanson can become the first Swede to win a male major. It's all about whether Phil Mickelson can replicate yesterday's stunning back nine to wear a fourth green jacket. It's aboutLouis Oosthuizen, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar; it's aboutWestwood, Harrington, Stenson and Mahan. Nine players rest within five shots of each other. That's nothing at Augusta on a Sunday.

Two men who aren't in contention: Rory McIlroy (+1) and Tiger Woods(+3). If someone either found themselves with the green jacket at 7pm Augusta time, it would be the most magnificent resurrection story Easter had ever known.

Strap yourselves in, crack open the cheaply manufactured chocolate and enjoy the final day of the Masters 2012.

King Of The Court

Score one for the King. LeBron James scored 34 points to lift the Heat past Kevin Durant and the Thunder.

MIAMI— 

If Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder is what the NBA Finals are going to look like, then June can't get here fast enough.

For now, the Heat will have to settle for racking up home victories, including Wednesday night's 98-93 decision over the Thunder at AmericanAirlines Arena.



The victory extended the Heat's home winning streak to 17, one off the franchise record, and took the sting off the blowout loss two Sundays ago in Oklahoma City.

LeBron James, coming off Tuesday's 41-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers, got the best of the marquee matchup, outscoring Kevin Durant 34-30.

Dwyane Wade, back after missing Tuesday's game with what the Heat termed a bruised left knee, added 19 points.

Russell Westbrook added 28 points for the Thunder,Chris Bosh 12 for the Heat.

The game had a gritty playoff feel throughout, including a pair of second-quarter dustups that left Thunder center Kendrick Perkins with a technical foul and Westbrook with a flagrant foul.

With the Heat up seven entering the fourth, the Thunder opened the final period on an 8-0 run to move within 80-79 and force Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to burn a timeout.

The Thunder then moved into the lead, before aShane Battier 3-pointer put the Heat up 85-83. On the sequence before, James appeared to reinjure the index finger on his left hand and then Wade took a hard bump to his shoulder.

Battier then came back with another 3-pointer for an 88-83 Heat lead with 6:54, with Durant trimming the lead to two with a 3-pointer of his own.

It stayed close from there, with a wild scramble leading to a jump ball in front of the Heat basket with 1:54 to play and the Heat up 94-93.

The Thunder controlled that tip, but then committed a 24-second violation.

That's when Bosh stepped up with his first meaningful moment of the game, a 21-foot jumper that put the Heat up 93-96. He had been 3 of 13 from the field to that stage.

Perkins then got inside and was fouled at the rim with 43.6 seconds to play. In his first trip of the line for the night, he missed both, with James securing the rebound.

James was then off with a jumper with 20.5 seconds to play, with the rebound going out of bounds to the Thunder with 19.5 seconds to play.

The inbound pass the went to Durant, who was off with an open 3-point attempt, to fall to 11 of 21 for the night, with the rebound going out of bounds to the Heat.

That sent Wade to the line with 12.3 seconds to play. Shaky at times in his career in such situations, he nailed both for a 98-93 Heat lead.

The teams remained close throughout the third quarter, which ended with the Heat up 80-73.

Both teams got into the bonus early in the third, slowing the overall pace. That also slowed the scoring duel between James and Durant, who shot just 1 of 5 in the third, missing consecutive open 3-pointers late in the period. Durant also had four turnovers in the third.

Thunder at Heat: A close look at the clutch

With 3:03 left in the game and the Heat up 85-81 over the 76ers, LeBron James stepped up to the charity stripe for a pair of free throws. With Dwyane Wade sidelined, all of the eyes in AmericanAirlines Arena turned to LeBron to come up big in crunchtime. 

LeBron went 1-for-2 at the line. Not impressive. What followed, though, was impressive. From there, LeBron proceeded to hit two jumpers, flush an alley-oop and convert three more free throws in the closing minutes. With the game in balance, LeBron scored 12 points over the final three minutes of the game, matching the Philadelphia 76ers entire team's total over that span. The Heat went on to win 99-93. 

LeBron closed the door, something that every critic has yearned for him to do more consistently. It's no secret that LeBron's season hasn't memorable for his clutch performance. He might have the commanding lead in player efficiency rating, but he doesn't boast a catalog of game-winners that are featured daily on the morning highlight reels. 

That's not the case for his opponent on Wednesday -- Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Or at least that's what it seems. 

From the team perspective, the Thunder are 16-9 (.640) when games enter clutch time which is actually slightly worse, percentage-wise, than what the 14-7 (.667) Heat have done this season. There's no question that the Thunder have had far more dramatic wins this season, but when the games get close, the Heat have surprisingly seen better results from a record standpoint. 

The Thunder have been stellar this season with the game on the line and leading the way is Durant, who has been unbelievably successful in the shot-making department. The 23-year-old (remember, 23!) currently leads the NBA with 126 points in clutch situations (defined as the score within five points or less in the final five minutes). And Russell Westbrook? He ranks fourth in the league in clutch points (108), trailing Kobe Bryant (121) and Chris Paul (115). 

Where is LeBron on the list? And Wade? They're further down on the list. In fact, Durant has more points in those clutch situations (126) than LeBron and Wade combined (64 and 42 points, respectively). Westbrook, too. What's more surprising? Bosh, the power forward who's often labeled as soft and mentally-feebled, has scored 55 points in clutch situations, which is more than Wade, the Heat's so-called closer, this season. 

This is where we pause to mention the power of opportunity. The Thunder have played 122 minutes of clutch time this season and Durant and Westbrook have been on the floor for all 122 of those minutes. The Heat are a different story, having played 105 minutes in the clutch with LeBron playing only 85 of those minutes and Wade only 72 minutes. Still, that doesn't completely explain point disparity. 


Here are the numbers, including the top trios from both teams: 

Heat Big Three vs. Thunder Big Three in the clutch

Player	Minutes	Points	FG%	Pts/36	USG%	TS%	PER
Kevin Durant	122	126	40.2	37.2	42.5	54.8	34.3
Russell Westbrook	122	108	48.6	31.9	36.1	62.1	30.5
James Harden	122	18	30.0	5.3	6.5	51.5	9.6
LeBron James	85	64	41.7	27.1	35.3	51.9	29.5
Dwyane Wade	72	42	37.8	21.0	30.8	45.9	18.4
Chris Bosh	99	55	56.8	20.0	22.3	63.7	18.9

What jumps out? First, Durant still comes out on top when we slice the game this way. Boosted by a enormous usage rate (percentage of team's possessions used by a field goal attempt, free throw or turnover) of 42.5 percent, Durant trumps all in scoring and PER. Westbrook and Bosh have been monsters in shot efficiency when we look at their true shooting percentage which brings three-pointers and free throws into the picture. 

But Wade hasn't been sharp, which runs counter to what the conventional wisdom would suggest. Bosh might have played more, but when control for playing time, he has still been more efficient by PER and more accurate by true shooting. It should be noted that Bosh is set up for many of his buckets while Wade takes the burden of shot creation by himself. 

And Harden? That might be the most jaw-dropping figure of all. When was the last time we saw a wing player who averages about 20 points per game get completely ignored in crunch time? Sure, he brings more to the table than scoring, but a player of Harden's scoring talent shouldn't have a usage rate that rivals Joel Anthony. 

Let's take the next step and look at what I'll call "super-clutch" time. How do these players look in a one-possession game in the final minute? 

Heat Big Three vs. Thunder Big Three in super-clutch

Player	Minutes	Points	FG%	Pts/36	USG%	TS%	PER
Kevin Durant	18	39	40.2	78.0	60.8	52.3	47.6
Russell Westbrook	18	18	28.6	36.0	27.9	66.2	26.1
James Harden	18	0	0.0	0.0	1.4	0.0	3.0
LeBron James	14	14	37.5	36.0	36.3	54.5	28.0
Dwyane Wade	13	18	66.7	49.8	39.6	77.3	50.8
Chris Bosh	16	10	60.0	22.5	17.4	79.1	15.3

With a sample size this microscopic, we can't take much away from this other than to say Durant has been other-worldly when the lights at their brightest. I mean, 39 points in 18 minutes? That's the equivalent of scoring a whopping 78 points over a 36 minute period. That's simply incredible. 

And there's the Wade that the national audience remembers. In highly concentrated clutch moments, Wade has posted a higher usage rate than LeBron in this case and has flourished with that responsibility. Judging by their similar usage rates, there's no indication that one or the other is the "closer" in the final minute, but that Wade has found more success thus far. And don't forget about Bosh, he has come through when counted on. 

And lastly: poor, poor Harden. No shot attempts in 18 minutes. Maybe he'll get his big chance on Wednesday night. 

All in all, the clutch numbers tell us what has happened, but they hold little predictive power. No one expects Durant to sustain this superhuman level of performance. But no one should downplay what he has done either. Let's hope Wednesday night brings some more data points for entertainment's sak