The Knicks and Heat tip-off at 7 p.m.
The Knicks and Heat tip-off at 7 p.m. REUTERS

The New York Knicks won a miracle of a game four, 89-87, over the Miami Heat to stay alive in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Carmelo Anthony ignited the Knicks with a 41-point performance and Amare Stoudemire had 20 points and 10 rebounds with a pad on his hand protecting the cut he sustained after game two.

But the night wasn't without setbacks for New York. Baron Davis dislocated his knee cap in the third quarter and will be out for the foreseeable future.

With that injury, as well as the loss of Iman Shumpert in game one, and the loss of Jeremy Lin to knee surgery six weeks ago, mean the Knicks are down to Mike Bibby as their only healthy point guard. The 33-year-old Bibby played in only 39 games this year, averaging just 14.3 minutes per game.

There were some hopes that Lin might have returned late in this series, but interim coach Mike Woodson ruled that out earlier in the week.

The lack of bodies means Woodson will be forced to roll out some unconventional lineups that could confuse the Heat and allow the Knicks to keep the run going.

Of the 101 teams that have gone down 3-0 in the history of the NBA playoffs, just 10 managed to win games 5 and 6 and only three teams made it to game 7, but none has ever pulled off the comeback.

Numbers just aren't on the Knicks side but this team has defied the odds all season and maybe they can force the series back to New York.

Where to watch: The game can be viewed online at http://nbaliveonline.com/streaming/. It will also be broadcast nationally on TNT at 7 p.m. ET.

Prediction: The Knicks just won't go away and the Heat, for all their talent, haven't proven to be playoff closers yet. Look for New York to make it interesting, and maybe get some last-minute magic from Anthony to extend the series.

Predicted Score: New York over Miami 91-90