May 9, 2012. Playoffs day 12.

Quotes : 


Heat 106, Knicks 94. 

"We do not take this for granted," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "This was a tough series. We feel very good about moving on and it'll only get tougher from here."


"We will savor this win tonight," James said. "And then we get to work tomorrow and get ready for Indiana."


"We fought, under the circumstances," Anthony said. "I'm not one to make any excuses for anything. ... But Miami, they're a tough defensive team. They stick to what their schemes are."


"It was fun, man," James said. "Melo's one of the most competitive players I've ever played against in a playoff series.


"Miami is a very good team," Stoudemire said. "You have to give credit to them."


"There's a lot of pride that takes place in this kind of series," Wade said. "Even though it was a five-game series, it was a very tough series to win. ... I thought it helped us. You couldn't overlook this team."


"It was very crucial," James said. "We had an 11- or 12-point lead in Game 4 and we weren't able to bump it up to 15, 16. ... We allowed them to get back into the game. We were very conscious tonight when we got that lead."


"I thought we played well in spurts," Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said. "Our guys got a short taste of what playoff basketball's about. It's something this summer we've got to sit and think about and hopefully get ready for next season."

"Woody's done a heck of a job with that team," Spoelstra said.

Grizzlies 92, Clippers 80. 

"We've had our backs against the wall. We still have them," said Gasol, who had his best game in this series. "We haven't done anything yet, and we want to take it back to L.A. and give them another big battle."

"Our Game 7's Friday," Clippers guard Mo Williams said.

"There's no point leaving home if we don't know our way back," Grizzlies guard OJ. Mayo said. " We can't look at Sunday because we have to make sure we get back home after Friday night."

"We've got to do a better job keeping our composure a little bit," Del Negro said.

"You could hear the crowd getting quieter and quieter," Foye said.

"We made enough plays and got enough stops tonight that kept us ahead," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "In the past, they kept making shots, and we haven't been able to stop them. So even though our offense wasn't perfect, we got enough stops."

"I thought he did a good job of containing himself when he got hurt and went to the bench," Hollins said.

"They got a lot of easy post touches at the beginning of the game," Jordan said. "Throughout, a lot of their shots were contested, but once you get a groove and get comfortable, the shots become comfortable."

Game Notes

The Clippers have been called for 12 technicals in this series and the Grizzlies seven. 

 Los Angeles'  Caron Butler playing with a broken left hand, had seven points in the first quarter. He finished with eight after missing his last five shots. .

Agent Jimmy Sexton and Dontari Poe, the first-round draft pick by the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, sat courtside next to the Clippers' bench. Titans safety Robert Johnson and cornerback Alterraun Verner were in the stands.

Miami went 7-1 against the Knicks this season, including playoffs. 

The Heat won three of four games against Indiana this season. 

James had seven points, five assists and zero field goals in the first quarter. Only two other players (Billups in 2007 and Jerryd Bayless in 2011, both in fourth quarters) had done that in any quarter since James entered the league, according to STATS LLC. 

 Rapper Rick Ross was among those courtside.


All credit goes to ESPN. 
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press


Photo: NBA Yahoo Sports 

Follow me on Twitter @JohnnyNBA and Like us on Facebook.