Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks: The 10 Greatest Games in This NBA Rivalry
Over the summer, LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach and join Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade with the Miami Heat.
And less than a week ago, Carmelo Anthony got his wish and was traded to the New York Knicks, where he too hopes to form another NBA superpower.
So when the Knicks and Heat met last night for the first time with Melo as a Knick, it was the dawn of a new day, a time when one of the NBA's most storied franchises ignited what was sure to be a lengthy feud with the Miami Thrice.
And as you might have expected, the game was an instant classic.
Just how good was it, though?
Well, let's take a look at the 10 greatest games in the history of the Knicks-Heat rivalry.
10. March 15, 2005: Dwyane Wade Puts a Dagger in the Heart of New York
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In March 2005, when the Heat were playing the Knicks, Miami was looking to accomplish two firsts: become the first team to reach 50 wins that season and become the first Eastern Conference team with two double-digit winning streaks in the same season since the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
And thanks to Dwyane Wade, they did just that.
With 14 seconds remaining and the game tied at 96, Wade was guarded by rookie Trevor Ariza on an isolation play.
Wade continuously dribbled back and forth before stepping back for a long-two and draining the shot at time expired even though Ariza's hand was right in his face.
The basket gave Miami the big "W" and only further worsened the Knicks' miserable season.
9. April 12, 1998: The Easter Bunny Isn't So Kind to the Knicks
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During an Easter Sunday game in 1998, the Knicks trailed the Heat by one point with just 4.8 seconds left and the ball at half court.
Knicks power forward Terry Cummings received the inbounds pass and missed a short leaner that bounced up in the air away from the rim.
It was tips galore as several players from both teams got their hands on the ball before Allan Houston tipped the ball into the basket for what was seemingly a game-winner.
The refs, however, ruled that the shot took place after the buzzer and awarded the game to Miami.
Though replays later showed that Houston made the shot with 0.2 seconds left (and Jeff Van Gundy and the Knicks protested the ruling), the league ruled in favor of the Heat and gave them the win.
8. Feb. 28, 2009: Dwyane Wade Goes Off in the 4th Quarter
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Though just a regular season game between two teams that weren't going anywhere, this contest will go down in the annals of Knicks-Heat history because of the man formerly known as "Flash"—Dwyane Wade.
For the first two quarters the Knicks had controlled the entire game, leading the Heat by 16 points at half.
Then, Wade went crazy.
Despite receiving a bloody lip at the hands of Danilo Gallinari and being pushed down to the ground by Al Harrington, Wade still managed to drop a whopping 24 points in the fourth quarter alone.
And his hot hand catapulted the Heat to a 120-115 victory.
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7. May 14, 1997: Brown and Ward Go from Balling to Brawling
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Just two years after Pay Riley bolted New York for Miami, the Heat would meet the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs.
The Knicks jumped out to a 3-1 series lead and had to win just one of the final three games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Well, in Game 5, Heat power forward P.J. Brown body-slammed Knicks point guard Charlie Ward while attempting to grab a rebound—some say it was intentionally ordered by Riley—and a massive brawl ensued.
The massive melee resulted in the suspension of several key Knicks players for Game 6 (and Game 7 for some as well), including Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, John Starks and Larry Johnson.
The Heat would go on to win Game 5, as well as Games 6 and 7, and advance to the East Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls in five games.
6. Feb. 27, 2011: Carmelo Anthony Gets His First Signature Win As a Knick
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In the first game between the new-look Knicks and Miami's "Big Three," the Heat jumped out to an early 15-point lead and were up by 11 points, 34-23, after one quarter of play.
But after a series of comebacks, including a 16-0 run to close out the first half, the Knicks took a one-point lead at the 1:01 mark of the fourth quarter after a Chauncey Billups three-pointer.
That wouldn't seal the win, though.
With seven seconds remaining and the Knicks still up by one point, LeBron James, guarded by Melo, drove hard to the rim but had his shot rejected by Amar'e Stoudemire to seal the win for Mike Dantoni's squad.
New York closed the game on a 13-2 run, the King was left looking for his crown, and Anthony gave Knicks fans a reason to be excited about the team's future.
5. April 25, 1999: New York Stages the Comeback of All Comebacks
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It was a late regular season game in 1999, and the Heat were absolutely putting it on the Knicks, leading by a whopping 20 points late in the third quarter.
But New York staged a furious comeback, eventually tying the game, 77-77, after Larry Johnson nailed a three-pointer with just 56 seconds left.
Just 17 seconds later, Miami's Tim Hardaway answered the Knicks with a three-pointer of his own to give the Heat an 80-77 lead.
But New York's Marcus Camby responded with a dunk and was fouled on the play. He nailed the free throw to tie the game at 80 a piece.
Hardaway then missed a shot with 22 seconds left, and Chris Childs grabbed the rebound, was fouled and hit two free throws to give the Knicks the 82-80 lead, their first of the game.
The Heat got another chance to win it, but Alonzo Mourning missed a hook shot with 10 seconds left, and New York pulled off the improbable come-from-behind win.
4. May 20, 2000: Heat Blow Huge Lead to Give the Knicks New Life
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In yet another playoff meeting between the Knicks and Heat, it came down to the final seconds once again.
Miami dominated most of the game, but New York rallied from an 18-point deficit to make it close at the end.
Patrick Ewing threw down an emphatic offensive rebound with 1:56 left—the last actual basket of the game—while Chris Childs and Allan Houston each sunk a pair of free throws in the final 91 seconds to give the Knicks the two-point lead.
The Knicks held the Heat scoreless over the final 2:20, but Miami actually still had a chance to win at the end of the game.
However, Anthony Carter launched a three-pointer from past mid-court that wasn't even close, and the Knicks won, 72-70, to force a Game 7.
Pat Riley's remarks on the game: "This is absolute madness."
3. May 21, 2000: The Heat and Knicks Go Down to the Wire Again
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Just one day after the Heat blew a huge lead to give the Knicks another chance, we got another classic contest in Game 7.
With the Knicks down 81-82 and just 1:20 left, Patrick Ewing threw down a sick dunk over the Heat's Alonzo Mourning to give New York the 82-82 lead.
Those would be the last points scored by either team, but it wouldn't be without controversy.
With two seconds left, New York's Latrell Sprewell attempted to save the ball from going out of bounds but was unable to.
However, the refs awarded Sprewell a timeout, saying he called one before he went out of bonds, although Sprewell himself even admitted that he did no such thing.
The refs huddled to discuss the play but did not change it.
New York kept the ball and was able to run out the clock and win the game.
As you might imagine, anyone and everyone on the Heat was enraged, and Jamal Mashburn even chased the referees off the court.
2. April 9, 2000: Tim Hardaway Sends Miami into a Frenzy
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Near the end of regulation and with the Knicks down by three points, Knicks great, Patrick Ewing, grabbed three straight offensive rebounds off missed three-pointers and eventually got the assist to Chris Childs, who hit a three-pointer with a few seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Childs was intentionally fouled late in OT and made one of two free throws to extend the Knicks lead to two points with 4.5 seconds remaining.
The Heat's fate would be in the hands of Tim Hardaway as he received the inbounds pass near half court but couldn't shake off Childs, who was defending him.
Hardaway eventually managed to throw up a contested three-pointer from an awkward angle and sunk it, giving Miami the highly improbable 95-94 win.
Needless to say, the Heat crowd went crazy.
1. May 16, 1999: Allan Houston, We Don't Have a Problem
10 of 10Up until 1999, only one eight seed had ever defeated a No. 1 seed in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Notice the phrase "until 1999," though.
In the first round of the 1999 NBA playoffs, the Knicks, the No. 8 seed, took the Heat, the No. 1 seed, to the fifth and final game of the series.
The game was a defensive struggle from start to finish, but it will always be remembered because of one guy: Allan Houston.
With the Knicks down by one point at the end of regulation, Houston drove to the basket and hit a running one-hander that bounced awkwardly a few times before going through the rim with 0.8 seconds left.
The basket gave the Knicks the 78-77 win and the NBA just the second eight-over-one upset in league history.
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