MANHATTAN — Just in the Knick of time.
Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks eked out their first win in the NBA playoffs Sunday afternoon in a thrilling nailbiter that put the brakes on Miami's quest for a sweep.
The 89-87 win is the first in the post-season for New York since 2001 and a hard-fought victory for the team against one of the toughest opponents in the league.
The close game came down to the wire for New York with the teams exchanging points in the final few minutes, propelled by stellar play by star forward Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony picked up a whopping 41 points including a clutch 3-pointer in the fourth period, his best performance in the series.
The showdown came comes days after star forward Amar'e Stoudemire severely injured his hand punching a fire extinguisher that was encased in glass.
Stoudemire put up 20 points despite having a heavily-bandaged hand.
Breakout point guard Jeremy Lin did not take to the hardwood against the Heat weeks after hurting his knee.
The Knicks have had a rough post-season run against the Heat, beginning with Tyson Chandler coming down with the flu last month.
Since then, they have dropped three games in a row against Miami, led by Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James.
The Knicks now trail the Eastern Conference series 3-1.
