By Shawn O'Neal
SportsLine NBA Editor

The New York Knicks pretty much define sizzling.

And the Miami Heat flat-out fizzled.

When the Knicks beat the Heat in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series, they became the first No. 8 seed to ever advance in the Eastern Conference playoffs and just the second to ever do it, joining the 1994 Denver Nuggets, who closed out the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics.

And the Knicks, obviously not satisfied to stop with their historical 8-over-1 seeding upset of the Heat in the first round, have dominated the first two games of their series with the No. 4 Atlanta Hawks.

New York now appears to be as dangerous a team as there is in the East. After struggling with chemistry most of the year, Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston have found the ability to coexist and Patrick Ewing seems happy to be a force in the middle and leave the scoring to the kids.

If the Knicks sustain their current level of play, Ewing may finally have a shot at the title he's been talking about since the Reagan Administration.

COOLING THEIR HEELS ARE THE HEAT, a team that continues to be tortured by the Knicks. Last year Miami was a No. 2 seed and was dropped by the No. 7 Knicks. This year's setback may be the final straw.

There will be no changes in the coaching or among the major stars, but the supporting cast has to be overhauled. That the Heat didn't bite on a Sprewell trade earlier in the year eventually came back to haunt them in the playoffs when they were heavy on defense (read: P.J. Brown, the player Miami coach Pat Riley wouldn't give up for Sprewell) and light on scoring.

Though he's usually beyond reproach, Riley is not blameless in the loss. Why did Voshon Lenard not see more minutes in the series when he was one of the only Miami players shooting well?

With his shoddy performance in the playoffs, it's also time to start questioning Tim Hardaway and his knees. And Jamal Mashburn never has been a consistent performer.

With Riley in charge, the Heat will always be fine. They just might not look the same next year.

Sizzlin' ... The Countdown

5. Mourning Glory

Alonzo Mourning is one player who can bear none of the weight for the Heat's loss. The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, Mourning averaged 21.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in the series despite dealing with a fractured orbit bone.

4. Rapture for the Raptors

They missed the playoffs, but this is what the Toronto Raptors have been waiting for. The team will have its own and the Denver Nuggets' pick in the first round of the June 30 draft. Their chances are slim in Saturday's lottery, but the Raptors could have two of the top three picks, and at the very worst will have two of the top 13. Sounds like Vince Carter will have some help in the future.

3. This space reserved for Darrell

He's spent his share of time in the Sizzle section this year, and Darrell Armstrong returns after garnering his second postseason award this week. Already the league's Sixth Man of the Year, he was also named the Most Improved Player. The Magic were a playoff bust, but Armstrong deserves all the accolades he gets.

2. Pace Setters

The Indiana Pacers have won 12 of their last 14, including their first five in the playoffs. With Reggie Miller, Rik Smits and Jalen Rose all playing well, they'll go for the sweep of the Sixers this weekend in Philadelphia.

1. No knocking the Knicks

Get ready, Spike Lee. It looks like the Knicks and Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.

Fizzlin' ... The Countdown

5. Branded

It's hard not to respect Elton Brand's decision to leave Duke to pursue an NBA career. But why did he have to sign with agent/parasite David Falk? We like Elton. We don't like his choice in business partners.

4. Job security for D'Antoni

New Denver Nuggets owner Bill Laurie has stopped short of giving coach Mike D'Antoni a stamp of approval and has yet to even say if the rookie coach will get a sophomore season. Hopefully for Denver fans, it's just a formality. Sure, D'Antoni's team finished 14-36. But that was after an 11-71 season. What's more, the Nuggets looked decent most of the year. Sure, they were awful defensively and couldn't win outside of Denver, but the progress was there. It would be a travesty if D'Antoni was not brought back.

3. Questioning The Answer

He's a superstar and is the only hope the Philadelphia 76ers have of getting past the second round, but Allen Iverson needs to rein in his shooting. He went 7-for-28 in the team's Game 2 loss. Even great shooters need to recognize when their shots aren't falling.

2. Agony in Atlanta

It's hard for the Hawks to complain about lack of fan support in Atlanta when they give them nothing worth watching. Two home games. Two home losses. The Knicks are looking for the kill.

1. Heat humbled

Mourning says he doesn't want to see a lot of off-season changes. He had better close his eyes.