Knicks vs. Heat: Ranking Thursday's Showdown Among Rivalry's Best Games Ever

The New York Knicks and Miami Heat have had some epic head-to-head battles. The intrigue in this 2012 showdown is centered around Jeremy Lin and LeBron James.

With all of the national attention New York has received of late, the Heat may very well be out on a mission to show the rest of the world why they are the beast of the East. 

In the following slideshow, we'll discuss the top regular season meetings in this historic rivalry.

7. April 9, 2000

Result: 95-94 (OT) Heat win

Miami was down eight points heading into the fourth quarter of this one, but the team rallied back and triumphed over the Knicks.

Alonzo Mourning had a ridiculous 33 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, while Tim Hardaway did what had to be done with 16 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.

Despite the Knicks getting double-digit efforts from Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson, the team wasn't able to pull it out at the end.

6. April 12, 1997

Result: 100-99 Knicks win

New York was barely able to hold on in this one after Miami pushed the Knicks to the brink of a loss in the fourth quarter, but Patrick Ewing led the charge with 25 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Miami received strong efforts from Jamal Mashburn (13 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals), Tim Hardaway (28 points, nine assists) and Voshon Lenard (24 points), but it wasn't enough in the end.

Alonzo Mourning played just 24 foul-plagued minutes in this one. That was the defining factor for this close game.

5. February 23, 2012

Result: To be determined

Who would have imagined at the beginning of the season that this matchup would be billed as Jeremy Lin vs. LeBron James?

There are so many people around the world anticipating this game for a variety of reasons, and it wouldn't be surprising to see television ratings go through the roof for this incredibly hyped battle.

Expectations are all over the map for what is going to happen in this one, so with that in mind, it brings one simple question to the forefront.

What do you expect to see?

4. March 2, 1999

Result: 85-84 (OT) Heat win

Patrick Ewing was the only player to show up for the Knicks in the close loss. His 31 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks just wasn't enough to get the win.

It was a true battle of big men as Alonzo Mourning went for 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks, while Tim Hardaway chipped in 17 points, six boards and six assists of his own.

It's not frequent for a team to win while shooting 39.5 percent from the floor, but the Knicks shot just 36.1 percent in a sloppy shooting performance by both clubs.

3. March 15, 2005

Result: 98-96 Heat win

Remember when the Knicks had a starting lineup that included Jamal Crawford, Stephon Marbury and Mike Sweetney? It was also when New York was bringing Penny Hardaway off the bench.

Despite the strange combination of talent that might bring back a nostalgic moment for some, a Heat team led by Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade proved to be too much in a fourth quarter where Miami outscored New York by 12 points.

Damon Jones sunk six threes for Miami and the Heat shot a ludicrous 57.6 percent from the floor, including 10-of-16 from behind the three-point arc.

2. March 14, 1991

Result: 125-121 Knicks win (2 OT)

Three players for Miami logged more than 50 minutes in this epic matchup. 

Rony Seikaly led the way with 26 points and 18 rebounds (including nine on the offensive end), Sherman Douglas had 33 points and 10 assists and starting center Grant Long chipped 10 points and 20 huge boards. 

But all that still wasn't enough.

The Knicks got 23 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks from Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley contributed 16 points and 20 rebounds and Mo Cheeks dished out 15 assists in the win.

1. February 4, 2001

Result: 103-100 Knicks win (3 OT)

Any time two teams go head-to-head in a triple-overtime thriller, it's must-see TV, but this one was especially memorable.

The high scorer in this game? Glen Rice, off the bench for New York, who put up 29 points in just 35 minutes during a scorching shooting performance where he went 10-of-15 from the floor.

Miami got strong efforts from its starting five of Anthony Mason (21 points), Eddie Jones (21 points), Tim Hardaway (16 points), Brian Grant (15 points) and Bruce Bowen (12 points), but only had 5 total points from all of their reserves.