- The Heat and the Knicks were the top two seeds in the East in the 2013 playoffs
- The Knicks were eliminated in the Conference Semifinals by the Pacers
- Former Knick Tyson Chandler believes they would have beaten the Heat
Tyson Chandler believes the New York Knicks had the Miami Heat’s number in 2013. During an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast, the 40-year-old stated that had his Knicks got to face LeBron James and the Heat in the playoffs that year, they’d have won.
“I really honestly feel like had we got past that (Indiana Pacers), I feel like we probably, we have a legitimate shot to win the chip that year,” Chandler said.
The third-seeded Pacers had eliminated the Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Chandler had previously pointed to the lack of rest the Knicks had before that series as the reason for their defeat to Indiana.
“Miami was trying to go for the back-to-back,” Chandler continued. “And I really feel like we would have beat them that year with that Knicks team. No offense to them, but I feel like we had the unit for it.”
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The Heat had won the 2012 championship and were favored to repeat, having gone 66-16 in the 2012-13 regular season. The Knicks, who were 54-28, were expected to be their strongest challenger in the East, but we never got to see how that series would have panned out.
We have had players making these kinds of claims in the past and usually, there isn’t much substance to it. John Wall once claimed the 2016-17 Wizards would have beaten LeBron and the Cavaliers, but there was no reason to believe they would have. With the Knicks, though, you could make a case.
Could The Knicks Have Beaten The Heat?
The reason for Chandler’s confidence is that the Knicks won the season series against the Heat 3-1 that season. All three wins were double-digit blowouts as well, while that loss was by just six points.
While 2013 is considered to be LeBron’s absolute peak, the Heat didn’t exactly cruise to the title. The Pacers would end up taking them to seven games in the Conference Finals and then, of course, the San Antonio Spurs had them on the ropes in the NBA Finals, before the Heat won in seven games.
They deserve credit for winning in that fashion, but they weren’t some unstoppable juggernaut. I would still back the Heat to win, but the Knicks certainly would have had a shot.
They had a deep roster around Carmelo Anthony and were a tough outing for anyone. Anthony averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game that season to win his only scoring title.
Five other Knicks also scored in double digits, including Chandler who averaged 10.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. The veteran big man also made the All-Star team that season.
The Knicks Collapsed After The 2013 Playoffs
The 2012-13 season would end up being the high point for the Knicks in the Anthony era. The following campaign, they went 37-45 and missed the playoffs, finishing as the ninth seed.
They then completely collapsed in 2014-15, going 17-65. The Knicks somewhat rebounded in the following seasons, but still never even got close to making the playoffs. By the 2017-18 season, all the key pieces from 2013 were gone.
It was a disappointing end to an era that promised so much, but ultimately delivered very little. Hopefully, the current iteration of the Knicks ends up faring better.
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