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By TIM REYNOLDS
, AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) -- Dwyane Wade picked up where he left off. So did the defenseless New York Knicks.
Wade
began defense of his NBA scoring title with 26 points, Jermaine O'Neal
finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat opened
their season with a 115-93 win over the Knicks on Wednesday night.
New
starting power forward Michael Beasley scored 21 for Miami, which shot
9 of 25 in the first quarter -- then a staggering 26 of their next 31
over the next 20 minutes, on the way to building an 85-59 lead.
"Very nice," Wade said.
Put
that into perspective: The Heat missed fewer shots (five) in more than
1 quarters than New York's Al Harrington did (six) in the second
quarter alone.
David Lee scored 22 points and grabbed nine
rebounds for New York, which was 32-50 last season, its eighth straight
losing campaign. Danilo Gallinari added 22 off the bench for the
Knicks, who were 10 of 39 from 3-point range.
Miami shot 14 of
17 from the floor in the second quarter, following that up with a 14 of
21 showing in the third. Meanwhile, New York was the gang that couldn't
shoot straight: The up-tempo Knicks were only 5 of 28 from 3-point
range through three quarters, plus only managed eight fast-break points
in the game's first 37 minutes.
Daequan Cook scored 15 for Miami, with Mario Chalmers adding 11 to the balanced Heat scoring column.
"It
makes everyone's job easy," Wade said. "When the ball is moving,
everyone is getting their opportunities and it makes everyone play hard
on the other end of the floor. That's what we want to do. We know it's
not going to be like that every game, but for the majority of the year,
we want to make sure everyone's involved."
Wilson Chandler finished with 21 for New York, which got 15 from Harrington.
The
Heat retired former point guard Tim Hardaway's No. 10 before the game,
then gave him the best seat in the house, courtside and opposite
Miami's bench.
Given all the Knicks-Heat tussles he was part of as a player, he had to enjoy this show.
"What a night," Hardaway said.
Hours
before the start of the 2009-10 season -- predictably -- Wade fielded
questions about 2010-11, especially since both the Knicks and Heat are
expected to be major players in the long-expected free agent bonanza
next summer. Wade can opt out of his contract and become a free agent,
joining that fray.
"Not thinking about it," Wade said wryly.
Forget 2010. It sure seems like Miami wants to win right now.
Three
dunks in a 40-second span late in the half -- O'Neal on a rare
breakaway for a center, Wade after Harrington missed a slam at the
Knicks' end, and then O'Neal again on a nifty bounce pass into the
heart of the lane by Chalmers -- gave Miami a 10-point lead.
And in the third quarter, the dam burst.
Miami
put it away with a 32-8 run, turning a 58-51 game into a 31-point
embarrassment. O'Neal had 10 points and six rebounds in the third
quarter alone, and the Heat outrebounded the Knicks 13-5 in the period.
Even
Quentin Richardson, the former Knicks forward who was traded away this
summer -- then traded again and again before landing in Miami -- got
into the act, making a 3-pointer with 8:05 left in the third, then
giving the New York bench a long look.
It kept getting worse from there for the Knicks.
Gallinari
made a 3-pointer with 9:26 left, cutting Miami's lead to 92-70 and
forcing the Heat to call time-out. He hit another 3 a half-minute
later, but the outcome was never in doubt.
NOTES: Knicks F Darko
Milicic was shaken up with 8:28 left, remaining down under the Heat
basket for a few moments before gingerly walking into the New York
locker room, to have his left knee checked out. It was not believed to
be serious. ... The Knicks missed 11 straight shots late in the first
quarter. ... Udonis Haslem, who came off the bench for just the third
game since his rookie season, finished with eight points and nine
rebounds in 30 minutes for Miami. ... O'Neal and Richardson left
tickets for former Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, now the coach at FIU.
Received 10/28/09 10:33 pm ET
STATS LLC
