Fire extinguisher

First round,

Game 2

Remember the time Amare Stoudemire turned his hand into hamburger? Who can forget? The Knicks power forward earned the postseason award for biggest bonehead when he punched his hand through a fire-extinguisher housing after losing Game 2 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Heat public-address announcer Michael Baiamonte went on to receive national attention for saying Stoudemire “has been extinguished from the game” after fouling out in Game 5.

LeBron 17, Knicks 14

First round,

Game 3

In LeBron’s first playoff game at Madison Square Garden, he outscored the Knicks 17-14 in the fourth quarter of the series’ pivotal game. The 17 points tied LeBron’s all-time scoring record for points in the fourth quarter of a playoff game.

The tiff

Eastern Conference semifinals,

Game 3

Panic set in throughout Miami when the Heat fell behind 2-1 to the Pacers. The way the Heat lost Game 3 was not encouraging. Dwyane Wade finished with five points and during the game had a heated verbal exchange with coach Erik Spoelstra. Wade later revealed that he had his left knee drained of fluid the day of the game.

Bounce-back

Eastern Conference semifinals,

Game 4

Wade responded to his poor performance in Game 3 with a 30-point effort in Game 4. He made it clear that the Heat wasn’t bowing out of the playoffs early. Wade went 10 of 13 from the field in the second half.

Elgin-esque

Eastern Conference semifinals,

Game 4

LeBron entered the record books in Game 4, becoming just the second player in NBA postseason history to have at least 40 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists in a game. The great Elgin Baylor accomplished the feat in 1961. For James, it was a sign of things to come. He played at his best in pressure-packed games for the remainder of the postseason.

Bloodsport

Eastern Conference semifinals,

Game 5

A physical series got bloody in Game 5. First, Tyler Hansbrough pawed the face of Dwyane Wade, drawing blood and a flagrant foul. Heat forward Udonis Haslem couldn’t let that slide. Haslem, who received a blow to his eye earlier in the series that required stitches, hammered Hansbrough with a flagrant foul of his own. Haslem played with a blood-shot eye and a large bandage on his brow for most of the series and was suspended for Game 6. After the game, Wade presented Haslem with the game ball on the plane back to Miami.

The wink

Eastern Conference semifinals,

Game 5

Dexter Pittman leveled Indiana’s Lance Stephenson with a flying elbow to the throat in the fourth quarter. He was assessed a flagrant foul for the shot and was suspended for multiple games. The penalty might not have been so harsh had Pittman not looked over to the Heat’s bench after the foul and winked at LeBron. Stephenson, of course, mocked LeBron from the bench in Game 3 by making the universal sign for choking after LeBron missed a free throw.

Surviving Rondo

Eastern Conference finals,

Game 2

Rajon Rondo, Erik Spoelstra’s “basketball maestro,” scorched the Heat for 44 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in Game 2 but the Heat survived with a 115-111 victory in overtime. James had 34 points, going 18 of 24 from the foul line.

In the face

Game 5

Eastern Conference finals

 5 when he stepped up and drilled a three-pointer on LeBron in the clutch.