Carmelo Anthony Will Have Shoulder Re-Examined

NBA Via New York Knicks (NEW YORK) --  New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will have his injured left shoulder re-examined by doctors in the coming days to determine the extent of damage and course of rehabilitation.

Anthony first injured his shoulder on April 14 against the Indiana Pacers, the team that just eliminated the Knicks from the Eastern Conference playoffs.  He said on Monday during his season-ending press conference that the shoulder hindered him during the post-season.

"It was bothering me since it happened," Anthony said. "To be able to play with that and get through the pain, it just came a point where you just try not to think about it. That's where I was at mentally."

Anthony doesn't think surgery will be necessary to repair the shoulder.  He shot 40 percent from the field in 12 playoff games.

"It's just a matter of resting it and letting it heal," he said.

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Pacers Bounce Knicks, Advance To East Finals

Andy Lyons/Getty Images(INDIANAPOLIS) --  Lance Stephenson scored 25 points and grabbed 10 boards to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 106-99 win over the New York Knicks Saturday.

The win sends the Pacers to their first Eastern Conference final since 2004.

"I just didn't want to go back to New York and play Game 7," Stephenson said. "Just get it done with now and I'd do whatever it takes to do that today. It showed tonight."

George Hill returned to the Pacers' lineup just two days after being diagnosed with a concussion.  He scored 12 points in 42 minutes.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 39 points.  Iman Shumpert chipped in 19 in a losing effort.

Indiana trailed 92-90 with just under six minutes to go before Roy Hibbert blocked an Anthony dunk attempt at the rim.  That spurred a 13-5 Pacers run that helped them close out the game. 

"That's why they pay me the big bucks this summer, so I have to protect the paint," said Hibbert, who signed a $58 million contract last summer. "If all else fails, meaning the offense, I have to protect the paint."

The Pacers will face the Miami Heat, the team that eliminated them from last year's postseason, in the Eastern Conference finals.  Game 1 is Wednesday night in Miami.

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Knicks Live to Fight Another Day

Elsa/Getty Images(NEW YORK) --   The New York Knicks played well enough on Thursday night to extend their season for at least one more game.

Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points as the Knicks topped the Indiana Pacers 85-75 to avoid elimination and force a Game 6 Saturday night in Indianapolis.

J.R. Smith and Chris Copeland combined to score 26 points off the bench for the Knicks, who are trying to become the ninth NBA team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series.

"I was totally impressed because we met the challenge," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "I think as a coach you come into games like this and you want to see who's going to step up and make plays, and I thought we did that tonight. We were the better team in terms of doing that."

Paul George led Indiana with 23 points, six rebounds, and six assists.  They played without point guard George Hill, who suffered a concussion in Game 4.  His status for the remainder of the series is in question.  The Pacers committed 19 turnovers.

The Knicks now trail the Pacers 3-2 in the series and need to win Saturday to force a Game 7 back in New York on Monday night.

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Pacers Push Knicks to Brink of Elimination

Andy Lyons/Getty Images(INDIANAPOLIS) --  George Hill scored 26 points, Paul George added 18 and the Indiana Pacers pushed the New York Knicks to the brink of elimination with a 93-82 victory on Tuesday night.

The win moved the Pacers to just one win away from their first conference finals appearance since 2004.

"We wanted it," George said. "For us to come out with that edge, still, after being up 2-1 and being on our floor for Game 4, for us to be up and ready and have an edge to play, it just speaks to how focused we are right now."

Roy Hibbert had a relatively quiet game after dominating the Knicks in the first three games of the series.  He chipped in six points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in 37 minutes.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 24 points, but the rest of the team struggled offensively.  J.R Smith scored 19 points on 7-for-22 shooting and Amar'e Stoudemire was called for four fouls in over 11 minutes, playing in only his second game since March 7.

"I can't lose hope," coach Mike Woodson said. "It takes four games to get out of this series. We go home, we handle our business and we get back here on Friday and see if we can force Game 7."

Game 5 is Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

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Pacers Throttle Knicks 82-71

Joe Robbins/Getty Images(INDIANAPOLIS) --  After getting blown out in Game 2 the Indiana Pacers returned the favor Saturday night, throttling the New York Knicks 82-71 to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Roy Hibbert led the Pacers with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Paul George chipped in 14 points.

The Knicks led the game for a total of 1:16, back in the first three minutes of the first quarter.  Carmelo Anthony led them in defeat with 21 points.

Amar'e Stoudemire returned to the court for the first time since March 7, scoring seven points on 3-of-8 shooting.

The Pacers have a chance to grab a commanding 3-1 series lead in Game 4. That takes place on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

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Knicks Crush Pacers to Even Up Series

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images(NEW YORK) --   Midway through the third quarter of a tight game, Carmelo Anthony took over.

Anthony scored 16 of his 32 points during a 30-2 scoring spurt to lead the New York Knicks past the Indiana Pacers 105-79 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The win evened their Eastern Conference semifinal series at one game each.

"I think for the most part from the start of the game and throughout the whole game, I think we played with a sense of urgency today," Anthony said. "We played the way we've been playing as far as competing at the highest level."

Iman Shumpert added 15 points for the Knicks, including a rim-rocking dunk in the first half that seemed to energize the team.

"The fourth quarter we just defensively, we picked up," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "We kept getting stop after stop and then we would rebound the ball and get it up and our offense began to flow like old times. It was kind of nice to see."

Indiana was led by Paul George's 20 points, while David West chipped in 13 points and six rebounds.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Indianapolis.

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Pacers Take Game 1, Roll Past Knicks 102-95

Elsa/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The Indiana Pacers had six players score in double figures as they rolled past the New York Knicks 102-95 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday.

David West scored 20 and Paul George had 19 in the win.

The Pacers outrebounded the Knicks 44-30. Pacers guard Lance Stephenson had 13 of those rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony sat most of the third quarter with foul trouble and finished the night with 27 points on 10-of-28 shooting.

The Pacers led by double digits for most of the second half. The Knicks made a small run at the end of the fourth quarter but could never get closer than six points.

"I thought they played harder than our team tonight. That was the difference," Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said. "Loose balls and things of that nature in the playoffs...you have to come up with them. They did all the little things. We didn't start playing until we got down and it was desperation. We got to play like that from the start."

Game 2 is Tuesday in New York. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

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LeBron James Officialy Named NBA MVP

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images(MIAMI) -- Miami Heat forward LeBron James was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player, the league announced Sunday.

"Everytime teh media asks me a question about me as a player I say I just try to be the best player on the court," James said. "Every single night when I step out on the floor and I've been, I guess, rewarded."

James has been voted MVP for the second straight year, the fourth time in his career.  Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (four) have at least four or more. James also joins Bill Russell as the only player to win the award four times in five seasons.

James received 120 of the 121 first-place votes from a panel that consisted of sportswriters and broadcasters from Canada and the United States, and one fan vote determined by a voting system on NBA.com.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant came in second in the voting while the New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony came in third and received the only other first-place vote.

James averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals and one block in 76 games this season.

Miami starts its second round playoff series with the Chicago Bulls Monday.

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Not So Fast: Celtics Top Knicks to Force Game 6

Al Bello/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Kevin Garnett scored 16 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, and Jeff Green hit two clutch 3-pointers down the stretch to give the Boston Celtics a 92-86 victory over the New York Knicks Wednesday night.

The win is Boston's second straight, and the Celtics now trail the best-of-seven series 3-2.

The Celtics are looking to become the first team in NBA history to comeback from a 3-0 deficit.

If the Celtics do comeback, they won't be the first team in Boston to make playoff history. In 2004 the Boston Red Sox became the first team in Major League Baseball to overcome a 3-0 playoff series deficit when it took out the New York Yankees. In 2010 the Boston Bruins became only the third team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 lead when it lost to the Philadelphia Flyers.                                                                 

The Knicks players wore black to the game to possibly prepare for the Celtics "funeral," and it looked early like the Knicks might actually back up their word.

New York started the game on an 11-0 run, but the Celtics buckled down and cut the lead to two by the end of the quarter.

Carmelo Anthony led all players with 22 points, but those points came on 8 of 24 shooting from the field, including 0 for five from 3-point land.

Meanwhile, the Celtics hit 11 of their 22 3-pointers, with Jason Terry hitting 5 of 9 from off the bench.

Game 6 is in Boston Friday night, where the Knicks will look to win their first playoff series since the 1999-2000 season.

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Knicks Drub Celtics for 2-0 Series Lead

Al Bello/Getty Images(NEW YORK) --  The New York Knicks continued to dominate the Boston Celtics.

Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points, J.R. Smith added 19 and the Knicks opened up a 2-0 series lead over Boston with an 87-71 victory on Tuesday night. 

The Knicks went on a 27-4 run spanning the second and third quarters to all but seal the win.

"For us, we know what type of team we are," Anthony said. "We know when we really buckle down on the defensive end, it's been hard for teams.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 18 points, while Kevin Garnett was in foul trouble for most of the game. 

"I thought we attacked them in the first half, but they hung in there," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "They didn't let us throw a knockout punch and I thought in the second half they turned that on us and they threw a knockout punch. Several."

The series shifts to Boston Friday night, as the Celtics will play at home for the first time since the Boston Marathon bombings.

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