ORLANDO - It was the swat heard 'round the NBA but felt mostly in New York. Amar'e Stoudemire rejected LeBron James and his actions seemed to speak for a generation of Knicks fans who are tired of losing and hungry for meaningful games in April, May and June.
"The league is excited about it," Stoudemire said. "They've been waiting on a winning product in New York. With the game (on Sunday), there was a lot of buildup going into that matchup and for us to come out victorious, and with the way we won it by playing (defense) in the final minutes, impressive. ... But again, we haven't quite done anything yet."
The Knicks insist that their stunning win over Miami is who they really are and that Friday's loss in Cleveland was an aberration. Mike D'Antoni's club is 30-27 heading into Tuesday night's game with the Magic and 2-1 since acquiring Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups last week from Denver.
The Knicks' own version of the Big Three - Amar'e, Melo and Mr. Big Shot - outplayed Miami's star trio in the fourth quarter and made all the key plays in the final minute. It was Billups' 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining that gave the Knicks the lead for good while Anthony's strong defense on LeBron, culminating in Stoudemire's block, preserved the team's second straight victory over the Heat.
"I don't think a lot of people thought we would win that game," Anthony said. "Let's just be honest about it."
Following their loss to Cleveland, the Knicks had a built-in excuse of trying to win while learning on the fly. But no one was talking about chemistry issues after they closed out Sunday's victory on a 13-2 run. It was a shocking finish, especially with Anthony and Stoudemire, two players often criticized for their unwillingness to defend, combining to shut down arguably the NBA's top player.
"If we're going to be a really good team then it's going to come down to those two making plays, both offensively and defensively," D'Antoni said. "I think they know that. And they bought into that, and (on Sunday) they took the first step."
Anthony was the Knicks' leading scorer for the second time in three games. He's now taken 69 shots with his new team compared to Stoudemire's 54. Shot distribution will be an ongoing issue but it's also one that D'Antoni addressed with his players almost immediately.
When he talked to Stoudemire and Anthony, he told his All-Star forwards that their shots will be based on one thing: Billups making decisions. D'Antoni wasn't trying to assign responsibility to the veteran guard as much as he was trying to remind his top two players that Billups, a former NBA Finals MVP, has something no one else on the Knicks owns: a championship ring.
Billups' leadership and knack for making clutch plays at both ends of the court has already paid huge dividends. D'Antoni believes that Billups, 34, still has four or five good years left. His contract calls for a team option in 2011-12 that the Knicks intend to exercise.
Two months ago, a Knicks-Heat playoff series did not seem to be a good matchup for the Knicks. Now they would gladly take their chances.
"I think we sent the message before when Paul Pierce said the Knicks have arrived," Stoudemire said. "That was the first message to the world that the Knicks had arrived. With the win over Miami, that topped it off. But again, we haven't done nothing yet."
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