Knicks, Heat set for battle of superstars

MIAMI - This is the Heatles meets Stoudemelo, the clash of the NBA power couples. And although it's still early for the new-look Knicks, with Carmelo Anthony added to the marquee along with Amar'e Stoudemire, Sunday night's game at American Airlines Arena is a first glimpse at what is expected to be the renewal of an old rivalry for years to come.

"It's going to be something special, something special to watch,'' Stoudemire said. "It'll be a battle in the East with Boston, Miami, Orlando and New York.''

Considering the age of the Celtics' Big Three and the uncertainty of Dwight Howard's future in Orlando with free agency approaching in 2012, the Knicks and the Heat appear to be set as long-term combatants in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat already has its big three - All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh - and the Knicks are two-thirds of the way there with Stoudemire and Anthony. Chauncey Billups, the former NBA Finals MVP and five-time All-Star, is at the end of his prime.

So right now, let's call it the Knicks' Big 2.5, with an eye on Chris Paul or possibly Deron Williams in 2012. But although the anticipation is there, let's not call it a rivalry just yet.

"Rivalries don't start until you have a playoff series or two,'' James said Friday night. "We'll welcome it back. Making it fun like it has been in the past.''

Wade said the Heat "would love it. It is going to be battles for many years with Amar'e and Melo. They're guys around the same age as we are. We're not going anywhere, they're not going anywhere. It is going to be some battles for a while. As competitors, I'm sure they look forward to it, and we look forward to it with open arms. We look forward to this game and many more.''

Stoudemire and Anthony are looking forward to the game for the challenge, as any star player does, but this might be too much too soon for Mike D'Antoni's team, which Saturday held its second practice since Tuesday's blockbuster trade and is coming off an embarrassing loss to the league's worst team, the Cavaliers, on Friday night.

The Knicks went through a 40-minute video session and then spent 90 minutes on the court at American Airlines Arena, mostly going over defensive concepts. If Anthony and Billups are cramming right now, consider this matchup against the steamrolling Heat (43-16) a PSAT: The result doesn't count for much, but it'll be interesting to see how they do.

"They're on top of their game right now, man,'' Billups said of the Heat. "They've been through the peaks and valleys; they know what to do. We're going to see a very polished basketball team. Right now, we're not a polished basketball team, and rightfully so. It is very soon, but at the same time, we've got to come out and compete at a high level and make it a great game.''

Anthony, who seems as if he's still riding high about being traded to the Knicks, said he is looking forward to it. "I love these type of challenges, I love these type of matchups, I love these games,'' he said. "I just want to bring that same mentality to everybody else on the team.''

Historically speaking, he's always fared well against James dating to their epic high school matchup in February 2002, which took place in Trenton, N.J. Anthony, who played for Oak Hill Prep, had 34 points in the 72-66 win. James had 36 points for St. Vincent-St. Mary High of Akron, Ohio.

The two stars had another unforgettable battle in their most recent meeting, last season in Cleveland, when James had a triple-double (43 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists) and Anthony had 40 points, including a game-winning jumper over James in the final seconds of overtime. Each was on his original NBA team then: LeBron with the Cavaliers, Carmelo with the Nuggets.

It took LeBron and the Heat almost a quarter of the season to develop the necessary chemistry to best utilize the superstars' talents and become a dominant team. The Knicks (29-27), who are looking to lock up a playoff berth, don't have that much time to get it all figured out.

"It is going to be challenging for those guys . . . It is going to take games, it is going to take practices,'' James said. "It took film sessions with me and D-Wade to understand how can we help ourselves and help this team.''

Skill is undeniable, but chemistry is the critical element that separates the two teams right now.

"The talent level went up, but now can you get what we had before?'' D'Antoni said. "That's huge in basketball: chemistry and the willingness to sacrifice for the other guys. We're working on it.''