Rivalry reborn: Heat, Knicks ready to face off in second round

NEW YORK (AP)— Back when the New York Knicks and Miami Heat were meeting everyyear in the postseason, nobody had the kind ofseriesJimmyButler just did.

Get as hot ashe was against Milwaukee and a player was going to getclobbered.

Theywerefoul-filledmatchupsat the end of the 1990s, better fit for brawlersthan ballers, and beautiful to watch only for someone who lovesferocious competition like Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.

“And it wason every play,” Thibodeau said. “And the style of play is a littlebit different today than it was then.”

The intensitymight be about the same.

The teamsrenew that rivalry beginning Sunday when the Knicks welcome theHeat back to Madison Square Garden for Game 1 of the EasternConference semifinals.

“We know howfierce it’s going to be at 1 o’clock in the Garden,” Heat coachErik Spoelstra said.

The Knicksarrived here by winning a playoff seriesforthe first time since 2013. They got to start it at home whenthe Heat stunned the top-seeded Bucks thanks to Butler’sspectacular series, where he averaged 37.6 points.

It’s a No. 5against No. 8 matchup, making this series a surprise. It used toseem like fate.

They metevery year from 1997 to 2000, with the Heat coming from 3-1 down totake the first one after suspensions from a fight swung the series,and the Knicks taking the final three. Every one went thedistance.

The typicallygruff Thibodeau, then an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy, chuckledrepeatedly recalling the history this week, particularly AllanHouston’s shot to win the 1999 first-round series — another of thesix No. 8 upsets of No. 1 in NBA history.

“I probablywouldn’t be here today if that thing didn’t roll in,” Thibodeausaid. “It hit every part of everything.”

But it’s ahistory that means little to the current Knicks, whose core of20-somethings is too young to remember it.

“So for us,those are the war stories of the past and they’re cool to hear andthey’re cool to see highlights of it, but as a team we’ve got ourown path and our own vibe and way to navigate that,” swingman JoshHart said.

Hart will beone of the Knicks tasked with trying to slow Butler, who scored 56points, tied for fourth-most in NBA playoff history, in Game 4against Milwaukee. He followed with 42 in Game 5 to win theseries.

He began hiscareer in Chicago playing for Thibodeau, who said he didn’t foreseeButler turning into such a dominant scorer. They reunited later inMinnesota, so Thibodeau might know what it will take to throw theswingman off his game — if that’s even doable at this point.

“We’re notgoing to make this a Thibs vs. myself thing,” Butler said. “It’sgoing to take our entire roster to be able to do something special.It’s the Miami Heat versus the New York Knicks.”

Even thosewho don’t understand what that used to mean are ready to be a partof it now.

“I’m going tobe honest: I didn’t know the rivalry was like that,” Heat centerBam Adebayo said. “For me, this is a chance to build a rivalry inthat aspect, but also it’s a chance for us to try to advance. It’sanother series for us to be battle-tested.”

KNICKEDUP

All-Starforward Julius Randle is questionable to play after reinjuring hisleft ankle in the Game 5 victory at Cleveland. Starting guardQuentin Grimes, who missed the last two games with a bruised rightshoulder, is practicing again and also listed as questionable.

FAMILIARGROUND

Miami is inRound 2 of the playoffs for the 11th time in the last 20 seasons.The Heat have wound up advancing in eight of their 10 most recentconference semifinal appearances.

New York madethe conference semifinals in nine consecutive seasons from 1992through 2000. This is only the second trip since then for theKnicks, who last won this round in 2000 — against Miami, in aseven-game thriller.

SEASONSERIES

The Knickstook three of four, with their first two victories both by twopoints. All four games were decided by single digits.

SEEDINGSSPEAK

This is justthe third NBA playoff series where both teams are seeded No. 5 orlower. A 1994 matchup between Utah and Denver was also a No. 5 vs.No. 8, and Houston and Seattle had a 6-7 matchup in 1987.

THECOACHES

Spoelstra is100-66 in playoff games. Thibodeau enters 29-37 as a head coach inthe playoffs. They’ve squared off twice previously in thepostseason; Miami beat Chicago 4-1 both times, in 2011 and2013.