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Heat stop Knicks 116-110 in overtime
Dwyane Wade dribbled the ball between his legs three times before darting around Stephon Marbury and making a layup, easily the prettiest play of overtime in the Miami Heat's 116-110 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
Wade scored 30 points with six assists and six rebounds, Damon Jones scored a season-high 24 and Shaquille O'Neal had 16 points and 13 rebounds as Miami won its fourth straight.
Marbury led a fourth-quarter comeback and scored 36 points for the Knicks, who lost for the 17th time in their past 20 games.
Displaying the one quality — a refusal to quit — that team president Isiah Thomas considered praiseworthy after a 1-5 road trip, the Knicks rallied behind Marbury with a 13-2 run in the final 3:53 of regulation.
But New York never led in the overtime period, and Wade's drive around Marbury gave Miami a 105-99 lead. The Knicks never got closer than four the rest of the way.
Prior to the game, Thomas held a 20-minute news conference in which he reiterated that he isn't interested in coaching the Knicks, saying his job is to lead the organization as the team president.
He also said he was flattered by Phil Jackson expressing interest in possibly becoming the Knicks' head coach but cautioned that the task of turning the franchise around will be a "long, slow, tedious process."
Miami made five 3-pointers in the first quarter and led 53-47 at halftime despite O'Neal scoring just six points. Miami's lead fluctuated between 15 and four in the third quarter, and the Heat stayed ahead until Tim Thomas hit a 3-pointer for a 92-92 tie with 1:57 remaining.
It was 95-95 when Kurt Thomas grabbed an offensive rebound with 25 seconds left. The Knicks let the clock run down but could not manage a decent attempt, Kurt Thomas' 22-footer failing to hit the rim.
That left Miami with 2.2 seconds to get off a final shot, but Eddie Jones missed a 17-footer to send the game to overtime.
Isiah Thomas, just back from a scouting trip to Spain and Italy, watched tapes of several of the Knicks' games from their six-game road trip.
"I'm definitely disappointed with our record, but I'm not disappointed with our effort or with the fight in our guys. There was a competitive spirit that I was very pleasantly surprised to see."
Isiah Thomas even tried to put a positive spin on the Knicks' chemistry issues, including a recent heated argument on the bench between Marbury and Kurt Thomas, along with a scuffle at practice between Kurt Thomas and Bruno Sundov.
"Those are positive things, because our guys are getting sick and tired of losing, and frustration is setting in," Isiah Thomas said. "At some point in time, those 12 men in the locker room have to bond."
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