MIAMI — Trips by LeBron James to Madison Square Garden are usually routine. He scores a lot of points and his team wins.
Those things again might happen Friday when James’ Miami Heat visit the mecca of basketball. But this trip still figures to be much different.
New York and surrounding areas are digging out from Hurricane Sandy hitting earlier this week. The Heat didn’t know for sure their game against the Knicks was still on until Wednesday.
“I think it’s very unfortunate,’’ James said Thursday after practice and before the Heat flew to New York. “It’s a natural disaster, so there’s nothing anyone can do about it. But I hope all the families that either lost loved ones or their house has been destroyed or whatever the case may be, our prayers go out to them.’’
Heat players talked Thursday about how Friday’s game could be a diversion from the tough past several days. James certainly provides entertainment when he shows up at the Garden.
In his past nine games there, James has averaged 33.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists. His Cleveland and Miami teams won seven of the games.
James is fresh off scoring 26 points in 29 minutes in Miami’s 120-107 season-opening win Tuesday over Boston. James sat out the last nine minutes due to leg cramps, but doesn’t anticipate any problems Friday.
“I feel better. I was on the floor and went through practice,’’ James said of Thursday. “I just got to stay hydrated, which I was. I was hydrated on Tuesday. Just continue to keep drinking fluids and take care of my body.’’
James’ Heat actually lost their last visit to the Garden, an 89-87 setback in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference first-round series last May that the Knicks eventually dropped 4-1. But for Friday's matchup, New York will be without star forward Amar’e Stoudemire, who is sidelined until at least December due to knee surgery.
Still, the fans figure to be quite fired up. It’s the regular-season opener for the Knicks, whose game Thursday at Brooklyn was postponed due to the storm.
“I think the New Yorkers and the people of the… area just need a place to yell, so we’re here for them,’’ Miami forward Shane Battier said of a diversion available from the tragedy.
“I think we saw what happened in the first game in the Superdome with Hurricane Katrina,’’ Heat center Chris Bosh said of an emotional New Orleans win over Atlanta in 2006 after the Saints had been displaced in 2005 due to the storm. “It was emotional and they were very loud. Basketball is back. I’m sure they feel they have a chance this year. Knicks fans are very excited. We’ll have to be ready for that.’
The Heat are ready for their trip after a few days of uncertainty. They will fly into Newark, N.J., and stay at a midtown Manhattan hotel.
“It’s been a tragic storm that has affected so many millions of people up there,’’ said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “But we’ll try to help in a way to bring back some normalcy… Hopefully we’re there to provide an escape and some hope and optimism that the city is on its way back… The bigger challenge will be getting fans there to the game (due to transportation shutdowns). We’ll get there fine and the Knicks will get their fine.’’
And Spoelstra believes James will be fine. The coach dismissed any concerns about James twice this year coming down with cramps in a big game.
It happened in last June’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City, when James was in severe pain. James got stricken again Tuesday when the Heat received their 2011-12 championship rings before the home win over Boston.
“He’s better,’’ Spoelstra said. “He’s a little bit sore… We’re not making it a bigger thing than it is. It’s not a trend. We are evaluating everything, but at the same time we’re not going to overreact.’’
What is a trend is how well James plays at the Garden. If he does it again Friday, that might be one of the few things routine about this visit to New York.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
