Rivalry Renewed: Miami vs. New York
Take this match up back a few seasons and it would have absolutely no meaning whatsoever. But history has shown that the heated rivalry between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks can get ugly. Just ask Jeff Van Gundy.
Rivalry renewed. Lebron James will enter into what is now enemy territory when the Heat visit the Knicks at Madison Square Garden Friday night. The last few seasons have been a love fest for Lebron in an effort to lure him to the Big Apple to revive the team that has not seen any success since their trip to the NBA Finals in 1999. Things have changed. Lebron chose to take his talents elsewhere, and the Knicks have quickly become one of the leagues surprises at 16-10 this year led by Amare Stoudemire, who is currently riding a streak of 9 consecutive games scoring 30+.
Instead of the laud and cheer Lebron has become accustomed to receiving in the Garden, tonight will be quite different. For the last few years it was no secret that the Knicks were clearing cap space in order to make Lebron the face of New York. Fans were convinced he would be suiting up in the blue and orange for years to come, only to be spurned. The atmosphere will be euphoric. Boos and perhaps a few scattered cheers will fill the air in anticipation of a great regular season game. Courtside seats are selling for over $50,000…each.
The Knicks were riding an 8-game win streak until Boston ended it Wednesday night in a thriller that came down to the final seconds. Miami is currently enjoying a 10-game unbeaten streak where they are beginning to look like the championship caliber team Pat Riley envisioned when putting the pieces together.
Miami comes into tonight’s game ranked #1 in the NBA in points allowed (91.1) while the Knicks are #2 (108.8) in scoring. Whoever imposes their will on the other will most likely come out victorious. The Knicks must rely on their potent pick-and-roll combination between Stoudemire and Raymond Felton, who is enjoying a career year under Mike D’Antoni, averaging 19 points and 9 assists per contest. However, Miami will rely heavily on their trio of All-stars (James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) to provide the bulk of the scoring and excitement in the open court.
This game will be hard pressed to top the exhilarating atmosphere of the game between Boston and N.Y. on Wednesday night, but it will at the very least come close. This isn’t the rivalry from the 90’s where a fight was commonplace, but don’t be surprised if the physicality is upped a notch.
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