Now that the Heat and Knicks are officially matched for the Eastern Conference Semifinals, we can’t help but remember this intense rivalry, which reached its peak in the 1990s. We’re talking Alonzo Morning versus his old college mate Patrick Ewing and wingman Larry Johnson, or even Jeff Van Gundy versus his mentor Pat Riley and his brother Stan.
However, that seems inconsequential to Miami star Jimmy Butler, who has little interest in this nostalgic myth, as he was asked about it after losing 42 points to eliminate the top-seeded Bucks from the NBA season.
The Miami squad was certainly in the mood during their postgame interview on Wednesday:
Jimmy Butler to the reporter who wrongly said that the first game of the Hit Nix series was on Saturday:
“Don’t we play on Sunday? … Look at you, do your job.” 😅 pic.twitter.com/55M1UO1dyx
– Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 27, 2023
“Honestly, you’re asking the wrong person,” Butler said when consulted as he played at Madison Square Garden against his historic rivals. “I don’t care where we play. We just have to beat them four times. I understand you’re trying to add excitement… Whether we play in Miami, we play in the garden or we play in Roker Park, we need to win four games.”
Despite showing little interest, there is a lot of information to dig through. First of all, New York won this season’s series 3-1 against Team Florida.
But it doesn’t stop there, Butler once played for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau when he represented the Chicago Bulls. Butler denied any concerns about his association with the opposition coach, “no one is worried about Tibbs”.
If you think about it, there is some truth behind the star’s indifference to this detail, as the South Florida team just defeated the strongest record in the NBA in just five games. Miami narrowly beat Milwaukee in Game 5 overtime, 128-126, after another stellar performance from Butler.
Miami bounced back again, posting his eighth 40-point exhibition with his current team, passing franchise legend Dwyane Wade for the most in Heat history. This series victory meant that Florida became the first 8-man team to upset a #1 seed in the first round since 2012, when the Sixers defeated the Bulls 4-2.
The Heat have the advantage as the Knicks have suffered two major injuries
Not only did New York center back Jericho Sims injure his right shoulder ending his season, but they also saw their star player Julius Randle aggravate his left ankle injury late in the first half of Game 5 on Wednesday night against the Cavaliers. .
Take a look back at some of the greatest moments in this fierce rivalry between both franchises:
Randle recently returned to the team’s starting lineup after missing the last five contests of the regular season and was not the same in his performance during the first round of the playoff series. He had 1:17 left in the half as New York led by double digits, and did not recover in the second half.
The senior landed and sprained his ankle after trying to block Carris LeVert, laying on the floor for a few minutes while he was examined by Knicks medical staff. Eventually he got up and walked over, but then headed to the locker room for more treatment.
Randle has yet to be confirmed for Game 1 against Miami, as new information should emerge in the next couple of days.