Rocky Top Nation

MIAMI (NBA.com exclusive) -- Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade liked what he saw from center Jermaine O'Neal in Wednesday's 115-93 season-opening victory against New York.

O'Neal, the former Indiana Pacers All-Star now in his 14th season, finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in perhaps his best performance in 28 regular-season games with the Heat.

"That's the (O'Neal) I like," Wade said, "And that's the (O'Neal) I disliked in Indiana."

New York, on the other hand, struggled all around. The Knicks tied a franchise record by attempting 39 3-pointers. They only made 10, which translates to a miserable 25.6 percent.

"I thought we were going to win 82 (games) this year, but now it's only 81," New York coach Mike D'Antoni said, tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Wade, who led the league in scoring last year at 30.2 points per game, had a tidy 26 points, and second-year forward Michael Beasley, the No. 2 pick of the 2008 Draft, finished with 21 points.

Overall, it was a good home opener for the Heat, which shot 56.6 percent from the field and led by as many as 31 points. After the game was tied at 46 with 2:49 left in the second quarter, the Heat went on a 44-15 run through the end of the third quarter. That allowed Miami to take a 90-62 lead into the fourth quarter, and at that point the game was over.

"We couldn't make shots, we couldn't stop them," D'Antoni said. "That's not a good combination."

The Knicks, who have had eight consecutive losing seasons, are in their second year of D'Antoni's up-tempo offense. And after one game things don't appear any more promising now than they did in last year's 32-50 season.

"A number of people did not shoot the ball well," New York point guard Chris Duhon said.

Knicks center David Lee (22 points, nine rebounds) was back to his usual pogo-stick ways, but he had very little help. Forward Al Harrington started 3-for-4 from the field but then missed eight of his next 10 shots to finish 5-for-14. Second-year forward Danilo Gallinari, the No. 6 pick of the 2008 Draft, missed six of his first nine shots and got hot after the game's outcome was determined. Reserve guard Nate Robinson missed all eight of his shots. Swingman Wilson Chandler missed nine of his first 13.

Wade, who missed eight of his first 11 shots, was more low-key than he was in last season's two home games against New York. Wade averaged 50.5 points in those contests, finishing with 46 in one game and 55 in the other. On Wednesday, Wade only flashed his dazzle. In the third quarter, after a Beasley field goal, Wade stole an inbounds pass meant for Chris Duhon, did a 360-degree turn in the air, and converted the layup for a 73-53 Miami lead.

Wade said he wasn't concerned about starting slowly on offense.

"I know what I can do in the flow of the offense," he said. "I just want to make sure everybody else is doing well."

O'Neal, who suffers from creaky knees, did just fine. Coach Erik Spoelstra thinks it's a result of O'Neal's offseason work. O'Neal, the 31-year-old known to teammates by his initials, J.O., spent six weeks working with the Heat's trainers in Miami and eight weeks working with well-known trainer Tim Grover in Chicago.

"We called him 'The young J.O.' tonight," Heat guard Daequan Cook said.

Notes: New York center Darko Milicic went down with 8:28 left in the third and left the court limping on his left leg. He returned to the bench a few minutes later. ... Former Heat guard Tim Hardaway had his jersey (No. 10) retired in a pregame ceremony. Hardaway played five-plus seasons for the Heat. Attending the ceremony were Hardaway's former Golden State teammates Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin, the trio that formed the famed "Run TMC" combination. ... Beasley got called for back-to-back traveling violations in the second quarter as he tried to create off the dribble at small forward. ... New York rookie guard Toney Douglas, the 29th pick in the Draft, ended 1-for-4 from the field in just 6:13. ... Heat forward Udonis Haslem, a starter the past six seasons, came off the bench for eight points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes. Beasley, who played 36 minutes, got the start at power forward. Miami used former Knicks player Quentin Richardson (five points in 17 minutes) as its starter at small forward.