The Heat–Knicks rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the two teams met in the NBA playoffs four years in a row from 1997 to 2000, with the Knicks winning three of those series and the Heat winning one. The teams most recently met in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2023 NBA playoffs, which the Heat won in six games.
The Heat–Knicks rivalry was one of the fiercest in the NBA, and Sports Illustrated considered it the third-best NBA rivalry. Prior to the 1997 NBA playoffs, no two NBA teams had ever met in the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, with each series going to the maximum possible number of games. The aggressive nature of those four series, defensive struggles marked by numerous foul calls, and intensely physical play, can be traced to the highly defensive style of Pat Riley, former coach of both teams and the rivalry's central figure. This 1990s rivalry created some of the most highly anticipated matchups during its short-lived tenure.
Background On March 1, 1991, Dave Checketts was named as the team president for the New York Knicks, and hired Riley as head coach for the 1992 season. He turned New York into contenders in a short time, culminating with an Eastern Conference championship in 1994 before losing to Houston in the 1994 NBA Finals, which denied New York from having NBA and NHL championships in the same year, as the Rangers won game seven of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final over the Canucks during the Finals.
Unable to repeat a trip to the Finals in 1995, Riley stepped down as the Knicks' head coach. At the time, many speculated either that he thought the Knicks were no longer a title threat and wanted to move on, or wanted more power. Riley answered that question on September 2, 1995, when he took over as team president and head coach of the Miami Heat. His move caused some controversy, as the Knicks accused Miami of tampering while he was still under contract, which was settled after Miami sent their 1996 first round pick (#19 – Walter McCarty) and $1 million in cash to New York on September 1, 1995. Before the rivalry began the most notable occurrence between the teams was the Heat ending the Knicks' 15-game win streak in 1994.
1997–2000: Four consecutive playoff matchups
1997 Eastern Conference semifinals In only Riley's second season as Miami's head coach, the Heat dethroned New York as Atlantic Division champions. This set up one of the most dramatic playoff series in NBA history, when these teams met in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The matchup was set up when the Knicks swept the Charlotte Hornets and the Heat needing the full five games to dispose of their in-state rivals the Orlando Magic in the opening round. Game 1, which the Knicks won 88–79, was iced by Patrick Ewing's dunk on Alonzo Mourning. A Jamal Mashburn 3 point shot put Game 2 out of reach and tied the series at 1 with an 88–84 victory. In Game 3 in New York, Ewing blocked a potential game-tying 3 point shot from Tim Hardaway, then secured the loose ball. The Knicks won 77–73. New York won Game 4 89–76, dominating Miami to gain a 3–1 series lead.
Miami won Game 5 96–81, in which a brawl that started when P.J. Brown objected to Charlie Ward's attempt to gain position for a rebound. Brown flipped Ward over and threw him to the ground, and a melee ensued. The Knicks and their fans speculated that Riley told Brown to start a brawl hoping that Knicks players would get suspended, thinking the series was easier to win against a full-strength Knicks team that many considered superb. Alternatively, other observers questioned why Ward dived toward Brown's legs with the game out of reach. Worth noting is that Brown is much taller than Ward. During the brawl, Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson and John Starks left the bench; the league punished them for this by handing out 1-game suspensions spread out over the series' final 2 games. Ewing, Houston and Ward were suspended for Game 6; Johnson and Starks were suspended for Game 7. Shorthanded by the suspensions, the Knicks lost Games 6 and 7 95–90 and 101–90 respectively. The Heat advanced, and lost to the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals in 5 games.
1998 Eastern Conference first round The Miami Heat once again captured the Atlantic Division crown in 1998. New York regressed and were the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference largely due to Ewing suffering a severely broken wrist that forced him to miss most of the regular season. With Chicago again the #1 seed, the Heat played against the Knicks in a rematch of their series the year before. Miami won Game 1, 94–79, but the Knicks bounced back and won Game 2, 96–86 to tie the series at 1 game each. Miami won Game 3, 91–85 to take a 2–1 series lead. But New York won Game 4, 90–85, in which a fight between Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson (who had been teammates in Charlotte) occurred at the end of the game. Although neither landed a punch, the fight famously saw Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy grab on to Mourning's legs in an unsuccessful attempt to break the fight up. The NBA suspended Mourning and Johnson for the fight.
Without Mourning, the Knicks jumped out to a 20-point halftime lead in Game 5. However, Miami chipped away at it in the third and fourth quarters. In the fourth, Tim Hardaway connected on a number of 3 point shots, until with over 6 minutes left, the Heat only trailed 72–70. With the momentum and crowd behind them, the Heat seemed poised to overtake New York. However, the Knicks retook the momentum on a sequence consisting of a Ward 3-pointer, an Allan Houston jump shot and free throw, and then a fast-break layup by Charles Oakley, on which he was fouled from behind and fell into the stands. This was ruled a flagrant foul- the Knicks shot free throws and retained possession. On the extra possession, Starks hit a 3 point shot that extended the Knicks' lead to 13. Miami did not challenge New York for the rest of the game, and the Knicks won the series with a 98–81 victory in Miami. New York then lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to Indiana in 5 games.
1999 Eastern Conference first round The lockout-shortened 1998–99 season saw the Heat try to move past the previous year's playoff disappointment as Michael Jordan's retirement saw the Bulls quickly fade as an NBA title threat. Miami beat the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic to reach the top of the Eastern Conference. The Knicks season finished with a record, qualifying for the playoffs as a #8 seed. This put the odds in Miami's favor, as an #8 seed had defeated a #1 seed in the first round just once in NBA history. However, the Knicks won Game 1 95–75 in Miami. The Heat won 83–73 in Game 2 to tie the series at 1. Back home for Game 3, New York beat Miami 97–73 to take a 2–1 series lead. The Knicks had a chance to clinch the series at home in Game 4. They held an 8-point lead but Miami won 87–72. Game 5 was a defensive struggle all the way. Miami held a 77–76 lead with 4.5 seconds left, but Allan Houston hit a running 1-hander that bounced off the front rim, then the backboard, and in with 8 tenths of a second left to give New York a 78–77 victory.
The win propelled an improbable run for the Knicks in the playoffs. They swept the Hawks in the semifinals and defeated the Pacers in 6 to clinch their second Eastern Conference Title in five years and advance to the 1999 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Spurs. In doing that, the Knicks became the only 8th-seeded team in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals before the 2023 Miami Heat did it.
2000 Eastern Conference semifinals While the Heat won the Atlantic Division for the 4th year in a row, the Knicks were right on their tail, finishing only two games back and capturing the third seed. After both teams easily swept their opening round series (the Knicks sweeping the Toronto Raptors and the Heat sweeping the Detroit Pistons), the two teams met again in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, in what would be the most evenly matched of all 4 series. The Heat won Game 1 87–83 at home to take a 1–0 series lead, but New York tied the series at 1 with an 82–76 victory in Game 2. Game 3 in New York was one of the series' most notable. Ewing hit a jumper with 2.4 seconds left to force OT. He also made 1 of 2 free throws in the final seconds of OT to give New York a 76–75 lead. On Miami's final possession, rookie Anthony Carter drove from the baseline and launched a tough and maybe illegal shot from behind the backboard. It dropped onto the front rim and fell in with 2.1 seconds left. After a referee's conference, they ruled it counted, despite protests from the Knicks. It won the game for Miami 77–76. The Knicks then won Game 4 91–83 on Charlie Ward's 21 points to tie the series at 2.
Back in Miami for Game 5, the Heat came from behind with a sequence of 3's in the final 2 minutes (2 from Dan Majerle and the last one from Bruce Bowen), and won 87–81. Miami had a chance to clinch the series in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, but blew a 45–30 halftime lead. New York cut it to 6 in the first 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Ewing made a difficult tip-dunk off a missed jumpshot to cut the lead to 2 with 2 minutes left. Allan Houston hit 2 free throws with 22 seconds left to give the Knicks a 72–70 lead. Anthony Carter missed a 3 at the buzzer that would have won the series. In a press conference after the game, Pat Riley remarked, "This is absolute madness."
In yet another Game 7, the Heat took an 11-point lead in the first half, before the Knicks rallied to make the game close in the final minutes. Tim Hardaway gave Miami an 82–81 lead when he drained a 3 with 1:32 left. The Knicks responded when Alonzo Mourning gambled and attempted a steal on Patrick Ewing. The move failed, allowing Ewing an easy dunk. The Heat had a chance in the final seconds to retake the lead, but Clarence Weatherspoon missed a jumper over Marcus Camby with 7 seconds left, giving the Knicks another playoff series victory over Miami. The Knicks advanced to an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Pacers, but this time Indiana won in 6 to advance to the 2000 NBA Finals where they lost to the Lakers.
1997–2000: Notable regular season matchups In the April 12, 1997 game in Miami, the Knicks led by 3 in the final minute, when Miami guard Sasha Danilovic made what appeared to be a 3 to tie the game. However, referees ruled that Danilovic's foot was on the line, and ruled the basket only a 2. Replays showed that the call was correct, but also very close. The Knicks went on to win the game by 1. Although the Knicks put pressure on the Heat with the victory, Miami hung on and won the Atlantic Division by 4 games.
In the Easter Sunday game in Miami on April 12, 1998, the Knicks trailed 82–81 with 4.2 seconds left and the ball at half-court. Terry Cummings received an inbounds pass and shot a short leaner on the baseline that hit the rim and bounced away. Several tips ensued from players on both teams positioned by the basket. The sequence ended when Allan Houston tipped the ball in at the buzzer for an apparent game-winner, however the referees ruled it to be after the buzzer and awarded the game to Miami. Replays later ruled that Houston last touched the ball with 0.2 seconds left and the basket should have counted. Jeff Van Gundy and the Knicks protested the game's outcome, but were denied by the league office.