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No. 2 Miami vs. No. 3 New York
| REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS (Miami won series 3-1) |
| Date |
Final Score |
| 11/13 at NY |
Miami 94, New York 88 |
| 2/6 at NY |
New York 94, Miami 80 |
| 2/28 at MIA |
Miami 85, New York 76 |
| 4/9 at MIA |
Miami 95, New York 94 (OT) |
| HEAD COACHES |
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Pat Riley, MIA
Fifth year with Miami, 18th year overall
Playoff record: 152-93
Best finish: Won four NBA championships with the Lakers in the 1980s -- '82, '85, '87-88.
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Jeff Van Gundy, New York
Fifth year with Knicks, fifth year overall
Playoff record: 29-22
Best finish: Took Knicks to NBA Finals last year, losing in five games to the Spurs |
| STARTING FIVE |
| Miami Heat |
| Anthony Carter, G |
Rookie played well in first round (9.7 assists, 9.3 points a game), filling in for Hardaway |
| Dan Majerle, G |
Lost step on defense and large part of offensive game, but still gives maximum effort
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| Jamal Mashburn, F |
Took care of much of the ballhandling duties in first round with Hardaway out |
| P.J. Brown, F |
Heat's second-best interior defender, rebounder |
| Alonzo Mourning, C |
Best defensive center in the league, and Heat's top-scoring threat
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| New York Knicks |
| Charlie Ward, G |
Having a career year in 3-point shooting |
| Allan Houston, G |
He'll be a Heat target after his miracle won it last year |
| Latrell Sprewell, F |
After chasing around Vince Carter, Mashburn will be a walk in the park |
| Larry Johnson, F |
Buried the big shots for the Knicks in the first round |
| Patrick Ewing, C |
Might be last title shot for elder Georgetown alum |
| THE BENCH |
| Miami Heat |
| Tim Hardaway, G |
Without him, the Heat are at a disadvantage in the backcourt against the Knicks
|
| Rodney Buford, G |
Could see minutes at backup point if Hardaway remains out |
| Clarence Weatherspoon, F |
Solid low-post scorer and good rebounder |
| Bruce Bowen, G/F |
Riley loves the guy because he plays
sticky defense, and he's shown knack for hitting big 3-pointers |
| New York Knicks |
| Marcus Camby, F/C |
Knicks best rebounder, shot-blocker |
| Chris Childs, G |
Splits point guard duties with Ward |
| Kurt Thomas, F |
Valuable reserve, especially if he sticks mid-range jumper |
| John Wallace, F |
Gives Knicks some depth inside |
| HOW THEY GOT THERE |
| Miami Heat |
Miami didn't have Tim Hardaway in its first-round sweep of
Detroit, and the Pistons didn't have Grant Hill. It was the Heat defense
that was the difference -- they held Detroit to 239 points, a mark that
tied the 1996 Cavaliers for the least points scored in a three-game series.
It was a breakthrough series for Jamal Mashburn, who exploited the injured
status of Hill to lead the team in scoring at 21.3 points a game and he
added five rebounds and five assists per game.
First-round review
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| New York Knicks |
Latrell Sprewell was splendid in the matchup against
Raptors star Vince Carter, holding him to 19 points a game, six below his
season average. Carter missed 35 of his 50 field-goal attempts in the
series with Spree in his face for nearly every second of it. The Knicks
small forward had enough energy to lead the team in scoring, too, with 19
points a game on 49 percent shooting and his runner in the lane won Game 2.
The biggest shots, though, came from Larry Johnson who banked in a
series-deciding 3-pointer in Game 3 and had a crucial 3-pointer in Game 1.
First-round review
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| SERIES OUTLOOK |
| It's the NBA's most raucous rivalry. The teams have met the past three
seasons in the playoffs and each has gone to the last game. The past two
years the Knicks have won in Game 5 in the opening round, and the Heat won
a Game 7 in the second round three years ago. The games have been peppered
with fights, inflammatory words and tense finishes -- Houston's Game 5
bouncer last year in the waning seconds was the most recent. They are two
teams trying to fight age -- the Knicks' LJ and Ewing and Heat's Hardaway
and Majerle are on their last legs. It could be the last shot at a Finals appearance for both teams.
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| PREDICTION |
A Spree three wins it in Game 7. Knicks win in 7.
Prediction by Simon Fishler, SportsLine.com NBA Editor
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