WASHINGTON -- The Heat might be getting a history lesson on brawls, suspensions, a coach holding onto a center's leg, a legendary upset and a miracle shot.
They were all part of Miami's fierce rivalry with New York in the playoffs from 1997-2000. It's a rivalry that will be renewed when a first-round meeting between East No. 2 seed Miami and the No. 7 Knicks was assured Thursday.
"It was incredible," said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who had various roles with the Heat during the four playoff series against the Knicks that all went the distance. "It's unfortunate. I think today's players don't even know anything about that series or how competitive it was. They vaguely know about the fights, but we know it means a lot to both organizations."
Spoelstra and Heat president Pat Riley, who was Miami's coach then after he had bolted New York in 1995, don't have a lot of time to review memories of the rivalry since the series starts on Saturday after many thought it might begin Sunday.
Also, where do you begin?
The Heat won 4-3 in 1997 in a series that featured a brawl and suspensions and Miami coming back from a 3-1 deficit. New York won 3-2 in 1998 in a series that saw Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy hold on to Miami center Alonzo Mourning's leg while trying to break up a fight, which led to more suspensions.
The Knicks recorded a huge upset in 1999, winning 3-2 on a last-second layup by Allan Houston that marked only the second time (it's now up to four) a No. 8 seed had beaten a No. 1. And New York won in seven games in 2000, withstanding a miraculous game-winning shot by Heat guard Anthony Carter that went over the backboard to win Game 3.
Now the Heat and Knicks will try to create more memories.
"We're ready to go in there and play," Miami guard Mario Chalmers said after the reserve-laden Heat finished the regular season with a 104-70 loss at Washington, which featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all sitting out for a second straight game. "It's been a long time coming for the Heat-Knicks rivalry, so it's good to be a part of it."
Chalmers was just 11 when the teams met for the first time in the playoffs. He remembers more than one might think.
"I remember everything," he said. "I was a big basketball fanatic."
The Heat (46-20) had been figuring for several days they would end up facing the Knicks (36-30). Entering Thursday, the only way it wouldn't have happened would have been if Philadelphia won at Detroit and New York lost at historically awful Charlotte. But neither result came close to happening.
The Heat went 3-0 against the Knicks during the regular season, but they faced a New York outfit that played for two different coaches (Mike D'Antoni for the first two games and current boss Mike Woodson for the last one), without Carmelo Anthony in one game and without Amar'e Stoudemire in another.
"I'm sure we'll look for some things from that game, but we're not going to put too much on it," Wade said of the 93-85 win April 15 win at New York in the latest game between the teams and one in which Stoudemire sat out due to a back injury. "It's a new season. … Amar'e is back in the fold with them. So it's a different lineup, an even more confident team. … So we got to come in with a different mindset as well."
Interestingly, that game marked the last time the Big Three all played together. Bosh hasn't hit the court since due to a hamstring problem, Wade missed the final three games with a dislocated left index finger while James sat out the last two strictly for rest.
Bosh and Wade both will be play Saturday. When Bosh was asked about his hamstring, he offered three varying descriptions.
"It feels awesome. … It feels good. It feels all right," said Bosh, who said he was held out down the stretch mostly for precautionary reasons.
You better believe James will be ready. He took two weeks off after last June's 4-2 Finals loss to Dallas. But then he went back to work with his eyes on the prize that long has eluded him: The Larry O'Brien Trophy.
"Because of the outcome of last year, I've been preparing ever since the summer," James said. "Those two weeks I took off after the season last year when we lost, I've been preparing from that moment on to get back to this point in the postseason. So I'm looking forward to it."
Many have said it's championship or bust for the Heat this time. But James won't go that far.
"You put too much work into the season to call it a failure," James said when asked if the season will have been wasted if the Heat don't win it all. "It would be a disappointment. This is our goal. This is what we come together for. But failure is a strong word. … It would be a disappointment because … we're built to win a championship, and we have an opportunity to do it."
The Knicks, though, are hardly your typical No. 7 seed. They went 18-6 after Woodson took over March 14 for the fired D'Antoni. And Anthony has raised his game, having scored 32 or more points in seven of April's 12 games, including 42 on April 15 against the Heat.
"We have great respect for the Knicks and how they've been playing recently, but we've been playing well also," said Spoelstra, obviously discounting a Thursday game in which Eddy Curry led all starters with 10 points. "So it should be a good battle."
Spoesltra said that after Thursday's game he talked to his team about the Knicks.
"Guys are salivating for the second season," he said.
With that kind of anticipation, perhaps the series will conjure up some memories from when the teams got together in past postseasons.
Then again, when the teams battled those four previous times, the Heat only won once, though they had home court advantage each time.
"I remember all those," said Heat forward Udonis Haslem, who wasn't too pleased by the results since he grew up in Miami. "I remember Allan Houston, his shot with the knockout punch. I remember Van Gundy holding on to (Mourning's leg). Obviously, it can't be as physical since the game has changed a bit, but it's going to be a very high level of competing out there. There might be physical plays being made and tempers flaring all within the game."
As it turns out, not everybody on the Heat needs to be briefed on the renewed rivalry.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or Twitter @christomasson
