Alan Hahn's post on New York Knicks | Latest updates on Sulia

Carmelo Anthony could not say for sure if he would be able to play tonight in Miami. But he did promise one thing:

"I'm not getting on Southwest, though," he said. "I'm going to Miami." It was a joke in reference to last week's move by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who sent four starters back to San Antonio before the team's game in Miami. The players, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Danny Green, boarded a Southwest Airlines flight. The Spurs were fined $250,000 by the NBA for not making healthy players available for a game. But Melo's finger is no joking matter. The cut -- which he suffered diving into the team bench in an attempt to save a ball late in the game -- required 5-6 stitches to close. While it isn't on his shooting hand, Anthony's concern is how it will feel and if it will impact his ability to handle the ball. "I want to play," he said. "I want to play against Miami. But at the end of the day, I gotta do what's right for the finger and the deep cut that it is. So we'll see, talk to Doc and see [Thursday] how it feels. It's hard to believe Melo would pass up on playing against his Superfriends buddies, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but in the big picture, it is just one game. "If I don't play," Melo said, "I'll see them two more times." The plan is to see them a few more times in the late spring, as well.