9 p.m.
American Airlines Arena.
The matchup countless fans had been waiting for, Heat versus Knicks... was about to begin.
Anthony + Stoudemire + Billups versus LeBron + Wade + Bosh.
Both teams had two All-Star starters. Just looking at lineups like these was enough to get anyone excited.
"Boom!"
Before the game, the atmosphere in the Heat's home arena was stronger than ever.
The Heat, who had risen rapidly this year, had once again let their fans feel the power of a true superteam after several years. Even if their opponent was the red-hot Knicks, the hottest team in the league recently.
But.
With LeBron, Wade, and Bosh as their three stars, the Heat would not fear any opponent, no matter who stood across from them. Nor did they have any reason to fear anyone.
The entire league knew it clearly.
This summer, they had formed their super Big Three for one purpose: to beat everyone and charge toward the championship.
So why would they fear any opponent?
"Jump ball!"
With both sides burning with fighting spirit, the game began.
This was American Airlines Arena. This was the home court of the strongest Heat. LeBron and Wade opened the game with a 13-5 offensive storm, seizing control of the court.
They were telling the Knicks.
We both have a Big Three, but sorry, the Heat's Big Three is the strongest force in today's league.
That advantage lasted all the way until the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, it began with the bench rotations. But... both teams had plenty of stars. The Heat put Wade on the floor, while the Knicks sent out Stoudemire.
"The Flash" against "STAT."
The clash was about to erupt.
Wade's driving dunks, jumpers after shaking off defenders, and Eurostep layups made scoring look far too easy for the "second-best shooting guard."
Stoudemire's offense was just as unstoppable.
Post-ups on the low block, face-up attacks from the high post, and a steady mid-range jumper. As someone who could play both center and power forward, he did not simply blow past backup forwards in one step.
Once he accelerated, they could basically only watch from his side.
So whether it was a sudden pull-up jumper or a hard drive to the rim for a dunk, Stoudemire, just like "The Flash," made scoring look extremely easy.
For 5 minutes and 12 seconds of the rotation, "The Flash" and "STAT" traded blows. Neither side gave an inch.
"Beep, beep!"
Coach D'Antoni called timeout.
Both starting lineups returned to the floor, and what followed was a fierce shootout between stars. The two teams traded blows back and forth, and the game remained extremely tight.
At halftime.
Heat 70, Knicks 65.
Playing at home, the Heat temporarily led by 5 points.
...
After the break, the teams switched sides.
The home fans were hoping the Heat's Big Three would unleash a run, turn their advantage into control, and perhaps even blow the game open.
However, things did not go as they hoped.
In the third quarter, "Melo" Anthony erupted. In his head-to-head battle with his good friend "King James" LeBron, tonight... Anthony had the upper hand.
"Swish!"
On the final possession of the third quarter, Anthony faced LeBron at the top of the key. After draining some clock, he suddenly pulled the trigger from deep, launching an ultra-long three.
It pierced the target cleanly and dropped through the net.
In that quarter alone, Anthony scored 17 points.
Not only did he erase the 5-point deficit, but he also brought the Knicks into the final quarter with a 7-point lead.
In the fourth quarter, Stoudemire refused to be outdone. While his own offense remained forceful, he also faintly limited Wade's performance, forcing Wade to attack the rim several times only to come away empty.
After 4 minutes and 3 seconds of the rotation, the gap widened further. The Heat were now trailing by as many as 11 points.
The situation was looking very bad for the home team.
"Beep, beep!"
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra called timeout. Both teams' starters returned once more, and the final decisive stretch arrived.
Seeing his team down 11 at home, "King James" LeBron could no longer stay calm. He began taking charge of the offense, and also... the defense.
"Thud!"
A chase-down block pinned Billups' layup against the backboard.
LeBron blocked it and grabbed it himself, then without letting the ball stop in his hands, fired a direct pass upcourt. The ball shot toward the frontcourt like a bullet leaving the chamber and landed in Wade's hands.
"Boom!"
"The Flash" finished the fast break with a two-handed slam.
"Thud!"
Immediately after that, LeBron powered through Anthony, bulldozed his way into the paint, and finished a difficult layup through contact against a double contest from Anthony and Stoudemire.
And.
"Beep, beep!"
There was a foul as well.
"Swish!"
He hit the free throw too.
On the next possession, LeBron drove and kicked to Bosh on the left low block. Bosh knocked down the mid-range jumper. Then came another successful defensive stand, stopping Stoudemire's attack under the rim.
"Whoosh!"
The Heat pushed the break again.
Wade held the ball at the top of the key, faked a drive, then suddenly tossed a high lob. At the same moment, LeBron burst out from the opposite corner, took flight, and caught it in midair.
"Boom!"
A tomahawk alley-oop slam!
Under LeBron's command, the Heat answered the Knicks with a 9-0 counterattack.
"Swish!"
"Melo" Anthony hit a mid-range jumper after backing his man down.
The Knicks finally stopped the bleeding, but right after that... it was LeBron again. At the top of the key, he got a mismatch against Billups, drove hard after one step of contact, then.
"Screech!"
Step-back three.
"Swish!"
Cold-blooded make.
The gap... was down to just 1 point.
But just as the Heat were about to ride their momentum, tie the game, and even overtake the score, the Knicks, who had gone cold for a bit, also found their rhythm again.
Anthony, Stoudemire, and Billups scored one after another.
The game instantly became tense again.
In the blink of an eye, only 3 minutes and 11 seconds remained. The two teams were still locked in a fierce back-and-forth, and the gap was still only 1 point. The lead changed hands repeatedly, with neither side able to put the other away.
However, with 2 minutes and 15 seconds left, both teams suddenly began clanking shots again and again, falling into a scoring drought. No matter how they shot or attacked, nothing would fall, and the game entered a deadlock.
Until the final 56 seconds.
"The Flash," receiving another pass from LeBron, once again launched into a Eurostep drive. He still failed to make the shot, but he drew the foul.
"Step!"
Wade walked to the free-throw line.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
He hit both free throws, and the Heat successfully took a 1-point lead.
"Beep, beep!"
D'Antoni called timeout.
After the timeout, with the final minute underway, the game turned directly into a superstar duel.
"Swish!"
Anthony answered with an unreasonable jumper.
Immediately after... Wade attacked the rim hard, facing a double contest from Billups and Stoudemire.
"Swish!"
He finished with a reverse layup.
28.7 seconds remained.
Stoudemire caught the ball at the high post, drove hard at "CB4" Bosh, attacked the rim, and drew a foul.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
He calmly hit both free throws.
The gap was still 1 point, but only 13.6 seconds remained, and the ball belonged to the Heat.
"Beep, beep!"
Anthony fouled LeBron immediately, sending LeBron to the free-throw line.
"Swish!"
The first free throw was good.
The second?
"Clang!"
No good!
"Beep, beep!"
D'Antoni immediately called his final timeout.
Down 2 points with 13.6 seconds left, they had enough time to draw up a full play. A play to tie the game, or even win it at the buzzer.
After the timeout.
"Smack!"
Anthony caught the ball at the top of the key, facing LeBron one-on-one. Everyone else spread out to both sides, leaving two of the league's top small forwards matched up directly.
"Whoosh!"
Anthony accelerated into LeBron, used his body to make contact, then turned into a post-up. After a series of half-turns, he faked a drive, then stepped back to the right side of the arc.
"Whoosh!"
Creating half a step of space from LeBron, Anthony rose into a step-back fadeaway three.
"Thud!"
LeBron jumped up to contest and interfere.
The ball flew over LeBron's fingertips, struck the rim, and bounced up. It bounced three full times, leaving everyone's heart hanging in the air.
"Clang!"
In the end, it missed and went out of bounds.
"Beep, beep!"
The final buzzer sounded.
Anthony's game-winner failed, and the Knicks narrowly lost to the Heat by 2 points.
But... facing a Heat team that was frighteningly powerful, the Knicks had fought them all the way down to a potential game-winning shot.
That was enough.
That was enough for fans to recognize the strength of the current Knicks.
They had lost, but there was honor in the loss.
And almost at the same time that the Knicks narrowly lost to the Heat, tomorrow night's Knicks versus Suns matchup, a revenge game for Anthony and Billups, instantly became the focus of countless fans and the entire league.