Knicks, Heat resume rivalry with in-season tournament matchup
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau calls to his players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, in Boston. Credit: AP/Charles Krupa
The court was garishly different and the stakes were nowhere near as high, but the Knicks again played the Miami Heat in an elimination game Friday night.
The Heat, you may painfully recall, knocked the Knicks out of the playoffs last season when they defeated them in six games in the second round. Friday’s game was the first meeting between the teams since that series.
This time the Knicks needed to beat the Heat to have a chance to advance to the knockout round of the in-season tournament. The Knicks, who split their first two in-season tournament games, were playing their first home tournament game on a special court that was painted orange for the occasion.
“It seems like it’s fine, but we won’t know until we get out there,” coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. “A lot of these courts are different. I think the initial time it kind of grabs you a bit.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is the intensity of the rivalry between the two teams. Last season's playoffs revived the rivalry that existed between the Knicks and the Heat in the 1990s. It’s clear that these are two teams that respect and badly want to beat each other.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra got to know some of the Knicks' players this past summer when he coached them on Team USA.
“I really, unfortunately, came to like not only Josh Hart but Jalen Brunson,” Spoelstra said. “I really wanted to come out of that experience disliking them even more. I think we’ll be able to get past that. It’s still Heat-Knicks. I know how they’re wired. They know how we’re wired. It’s still going to have that kind of competitive spirit to it.”
Thibodeau has a long relationship with Heat star Jimmy Butler, as he was the Chicago Bulls' coach when they took him with the 30th pick in the 2011 draft. He also coached Butler with the Timberwolves before Butler forced his way off the team. Butler then was the player most responsible for knocking Thibodeau out of the playoffs last season as he averaged 24.5 points per game.
“I just have a lot of respect for him,” Thibodeau said. “Every year, he’s gotten better. He’s a fierce competitor.”
The Heat (10-5) entered Friday’s game having won nine of their last 10. They also were undefeated in tournament games, having beaten the Wizards and the Hornets. There was little doubt listening to Spoelstra before Friday’s game that he wouldn’t mind being the coach of the team that won the inaugural preseason tournament.
“I think it’s interesting. I think it’s good for the league. I mean, it’s good for the player, teams, staff,” Spoelstra said. “This thing, it’s coming up in two weeks. We’re gonna be playing a couple of games anyway. It would be a whole lot more fun to go to Vegas and play these games and try to win an early chip, title, cup, or whatever you want to call it. Anything that sparks competition I think is good for the league.”
Thibodeau said his team has to prepare for every game no matter what is at stake.
“Just get ready for the game. I don’t want us to get lost in how we prepare,” he said. “In this league it’s very easy to get distracted. But each game is its own separate game and you have to lock in to what you have to do to win the game. If you start thinking about all the other things, you’re going to get lost.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
