<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">MIAMI - Nuggets guard Earl Boykins assumed television trucks with familiar logos would be pulling up tonight at AmericanAirlines Arena. "Is (tonight's) game on TNT?" Boykins asked. Told it won't be nationally televised, Boykins expressed surprise. Usually, when Cleveland's LeBron James, Miami's Dwyane Wade and the Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony match up against one another, national TV is sure to stop by. But the game between the Nuggets and the Heat is the only one of eight this season involving two of the decorated 2003 draft choices that isn't on ABC, ESPN or TNT. If tonight's game is anything like the last meeting between Anthony and Wade, TV executives will be firing off memos. Anthony scored 40 points and Wade 37 as the Nuggets won 100-92 on Dec. 9 in Miami. "It was a great night," said Wade, whose Heat went 0-2 against the Nuggets last season but didn't have injured center Shaquille O'Neal in either game. " 'Melo' made a lot of shots, but it was great for the game. It was kind of like one of those games, you make the plays you got to make for your team and I'll make mine." Since Anthony entered the NBA in 2003, getting most of the hype has been his duels with James. But those often have been duds. In six games against the Cavaliers, Anthony is averaging 18 points while James, at 21.3, hasn't been much better. But when Anthony and Wade hook up, it has been must-see TV. In five games between the two, Anthony is averaging 24.2 points and Wade 29.6. That includes a 2004-05 game in which Anthony scored 14 points before being knocked out with a sprained ankle during the third quarter and doesn't include a 2003-04 game when Anthony scored 31 while an injured Wade sat out. "The stats say it all," Anthony said. "I've had better games against Miami than I've had against Cleveland." Anthony, a small forward averaging 29.4 points, isn't sure why. But he does enjoy playing against Wade, a shooting guard averaging 25.2. "It's fun," Anthony said. "It's always competitive. . . . I'm trying to win. He's trying to win. So we go out there and bring the best out of each other." </div> Source
