Amare Stoudemire Injury & the Knicks

Amare Stoudemire Punches Out the Knicks - AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

After the New York Knicks’ first loss of the series against the Miami Heat, Amare Stoudemire had to go off and do something really dumb. Apparently, he punched a fire extinguisher and the fire extinguisher won because Amare Stoudemire was not able to play in the second game of the series.

The Heat are, of course, one of the best teams in the NBA, and the Knicks need all the help they can get to even win one game in this series, especially now more than ever, since New York will be without one of its best players.

Amare Stoudemire 1-2 Punch

From the looks of it, Amare Stoudemire will not play in game three against Miami. That means Carmelo Anthony will really have to carry this team if they want to keep pace against the Heat.

Anthony had an absolute horrible game one, only scoring 11 points; however, he was much more productive in game two, where he scored 30 points, but the Knicks still managed to lose.

One thing is for sure, if Jeremy Lin can somehow get into this series, things may look a lot different for New York. Lin, of course, lit a torch underneath the Knicks earlier in the season, creating what we all know as Linsanity.

Well, the Knicks could sure use some Linsanity right about now.

Amare Stoudemire Knicks Knockout

Amare Stoudemire may have showed passion with his frustrations after game one, but it hurt his team tremendously overall. Without Amare Stoudemire, it is going to be very tough for Anthony to carry his team’s load.

When you look at who New York has-Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, Baron Davis and Jeremy Lin-you would think that it could compete with the Big 3 in Miami.

However, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are proving that they are a much better team than the Knicks and are up 2-0 in the series.

Game three will be played on May 5 in New York.

The Heat may have all of the advantage in the world right now, but maybe the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden can get New York going.

One thing is for sure, Carmelo Anthony is going to literally have to play larger than life in game three. If the Knicks go down by three games in this series, they can pretty much kiss their chances on moving on into the next round of the playoffs goodbye.

Derrick Rose Tears ACL in Bulls’ Victory

Derrick Rose out for the Playoffs

The Chicago Bulls may have beat the Philadelphia 76ers by the score of 103-91 in game one, but it came at a huge cost. The Bulls lost their star player for the rest of the playoffs. Derrick Rose is out with a torn ACL.

Just as all seemed right for Chicago, its hopes of winning an NBA title took a huge hit. Derrick Rose finally looked like his normal self, but came down wrong on his leg. The injury really didn’t look that bad, but the result surely was.

Derrick Rose had 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the game. Richard Hamilton added 19 points for the Bulls, while Luol Deng had 17 points of his own. Joakim Noah led Chicago with 13 rebounds in the game.

As for the 76ers, Elton Brand led the team with 19 points and Jrue Holiday added 16 points.

Derrick Rose Pulled

The Bulls were up by as many as 20 points in the game. Although Chicago was killing it in the fourth quarter, many people thought that Derrick Rose should have been taken out of the game. Who would have known that he was going to tear his ACL with just 1:20 left in the contest.

It is the playoffs and Philadelphia was starting to make a run. If the 76ers would have came back in this game, as a result of Derrick Rose being pulled, many fans would be questioning Chicago’s coach Tom Thibodeau. However, that does not really matter because fans are questioning him anyways, thanks to Rose’s freak accident.

The Chicago Bulls did not have the best record in the Eastern Conference because of one man though. This team is very deep to say the least. Not to mention, the Bulls have been without Derrick Rose for 27 games this season.

Derrick Rose MVP Hopes

Chicago may not like being without its MVP, but it is still capable of making a run in the playoffs.

However, if you are a 76ers fan, you have to like Philadelphia’s odds now that Chicago is without its field general. Just like the Bulls, the 76ers have a very deep team, which includes five players averaging 10 or more points on the season.

The Bulls may have a 1-0 lead in this series, but you can bet that Philadelphia will have a lot of momentum going into the second game.

Game two is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. E.T.

MVP 2012

LeBron James or Kevin Durant

MVP ... Durant v James - AP Photo/CHRIS O'MEARA

The MVP race is a two-man battle between LeBron James and Kevin Durant. These two players are easily the two best players in the league this year.

As you could imagine, both James and Durant’s teams are two of the best in the NBA and many people are picking the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder to make it to the NBA Finals this year.

MVP 7 Game Series Matchup

What a colossal MVP matchup that would be. Since Durant and James have been the two best players all season, just imagine them battling it out in a seven game series.

Before we go any further, let’s take a look at these two players’ numbers this season. Don’t be alarmed because their MVP statistics are out of this world.

MVP LeBron James?

Points per game: 27.1

Assists per game: 6.3

Rebounds per game: 7.9

The amazing thing about LeBron James is the fact that he is averaging 6.3 assists per game as a small (by NBA standards) 6’8“ forward.  At times, King James is essentially the field general for the Heat. There really is no other player in the NBA that can say or do this. James can literally play any position he is put at and this is evident for Miami.

MVP Kevin Durant?

Points per game: 27.8

Assists per game: 3.5

Rebounds per game: 7.9

Ever since entering the league, Kevin Durant has been one of the most prolific scorers in the game. Besides the fact that Durant is leading the Thunder to an amazing season, which includes the best record in the West Division, it is very impressive how Durant is playing. What makes Durant’s season so special is the fact that he is scoring so many points along side Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is the point guard for Oklahoma, but he certainly does not play like it. Some people would call him a ball hog. Westbrook is obviously an amazing player, but if he was not on the Thunder, Durant could very easily be averaging more than 30 points a night.

MVP ??  Who’s Your Choice?

Both Durant and James have played very well against each other, with James averaging 25.5 points and Durant averaging 29 points in two contests against each other.

However, those two games alone should not decide the MVP this season. Durant and James have played amazing this year, but who gets the nod?

That is an answer that could be decided by a coin flip and not whether you are a Heat fan or Thunder fan.

NBA Top Teams Bid for Playoff Births

NBA 's Houston Rockets Still in it?

Although teams like the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder have already clinched its spots in the playoffs, there are some great NBA playoff races going on in both the Eastern and Western Conference.

Let’s take a look shall we.

NBA East

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers should be in the playoffs this year, but they certainly have not been the hottest team in the NBA as of late. The way things are looking, the 76ers will most likely drop down to the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. If Philadelphia can not finish strong down the stretch, it may even be in danger of making the playoffs all together, but at the moment the 76ers are the seventh team in the East.

New York Knicks

The New York Knicks have been plagued by injuries this season, so it is no wonder why they have not had the best season in the world. Even with all of these injuries, the Knicks have a great chance of making the playoffs and they still have a shot at climbing to the seventh spot in the NBA East. It would take a miracle for New York to move higher than that.

Milwaukee Bucks

If the season ended today, the Milwaukee Bucks would not make the NBA playoffs. However, if the Bucks can get hot down the stretch, they could squeeze into the eighth spot in the East. As it stands, Milwaukee is just two games behind the New York Knicks.

NBA West

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have looked like a playoff team all year, but just two games separates them from the ninth spot in the Western Conference. By no means can the Nuggets slack off down the stretch. However, the bottom part of the Western Conference is so tight that the Nuggets could easily finish anywhere from eighth to fifth in the West.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are very much similar to the Nuggets, except for they are one game worse, which is not a good thing by any means. One loss or one victory could very easily change the Rockets’ playoff hopes this late in the season.

Phoenix Suns

It is kind of hard to believe that the Phoenix Suns have a chance to make the playoffs, but with a victory and a loss by the Houston Rockets would make them tied for eighth in the NBA West.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz will most likely miss the playoffs this year, but that does not mean they are out of it yet. As it stands, the Jazz are just one and a half games behind the eighth spot in the West.