Still, they are the warriors of the New York Knicks, as Latrell Sprewell provides the electricity that makes the team go. No matter how exceptional the defense devised by coach Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, when it comes to winning the game, they don't have the guys to pull it off like the Knicks.

The explanation of a third playoff series loss to the Knicks by the Heat is that simple.

Alonzo Mourning fills out a box score beautifully every game, but reading between the lines, he rarely scores late and when he's 5-of-10 from the free throw line in a Game 7 that turns out to be a one-point game, it's pretty tough to stomach him whining about the officiating. Same goes for Tim Hardaway and Dan Majerle, who also are warriors but between them have about two legs to stand on. Everybody else on the Heat is completely unpredictable. That means, Riley again coached a team beyond expectations. But Riley's biggest obstacle isn't New York. Riley the coach must overcome Riley the team president, who has put these teams on the floor that replicate the "Spirit of '76" hobbling down the floor.

Meanwhile, there is Chris Childs scoring 10 consecutive points for the Knicks in the fourth quarter, leaving the general public (and the rest of the Knicks organization privately) to wonder, "Where did that come from?"

That's the story of the bizarre Knicks. You look at coach Jeff Van Gundy, who was within a bad bounce off the rim in Round 1 last season to getting fired, and you realize he's become one of the best coaches in the NBA. Nobody else has ever knocked out a Riley-coached team three years in a row, let alone on their home court.

They did this with their best shooter, Allan Houston, barely a factor due to a sprained ankle. The Knicks win despite starting point guard Charlie Ward, who is a religious zealot, offending nearly every one of his teammates.

It points to attitude and coaching and refusing to lose, highlighted by Ewing averaging 17 points and 13 rebounds over the final three games of the series, and Sprewell leading all participants by playing 44.3 minutes a game during the playoffs. All of those tend to be traits associated with Riley, which now have officially become appropriate qualities to describe his former assistant, Van Gundy.

So now the Knicks move on to play the Pacers, a team they have played against 29 times in the playoffs since 1993, while maintaining a slim 15-14 advantage.

The always vocal anti-New York contingent will be out in throngs against the Knicks. Conspiracy theories -- as the Heat whined on Sunday -- will abound that the NBA wants the Knicks and Lakers to represent the two largest markets in the NBA Finals.

But the crux of the matter is the Knicks, despite erratically finishing third in the conference, figured to be here all along. The Heat flat out blew the series, having an 18-point lead in Game 6 and a 3-2 series lead.

That leaves us with Sprewell as one of the most exciting guards in the NBA, and Ewing, the consummate hero still seeking his spot in history with an NBA championship before his fading body finally gives way. Yes, the Knicks are here, becoming only the third team in NBA playoff history to eliminate the same team three years in a row on the road, joining the Syracuse Nationals (Boston, 1954-56) and the Chicago Bulls (Cleveland, 1992-94).

The Pacers are waiting, again. And if Van Gundy can coerce yet another minor miracle out of his troops, they'll likely meet Shaq, Kobe and P.J., with the rest of the Lakers licking their chops. Call it a conspiracy theory if you like ... we'll choose to call it the best matchup available.

Officiating this mess

Although it was horrible sportsmanship on the part of the Heat to blame officiating for the loss, the crew was horrible, and the timeout called by veteran official Bennett Salvatore for the Knicks was a terrible call.

It was apparent Sprewell was falling out of bounds, and all he did was look at Salvatore and the ref signaled timeout. Sprewell neither called, nor signaled it. Later, Childs said he called timeout, but Salvatore never could have heard Childs. He was focused on Sprewell. That meant, it should have been a turnover and the Heat would have had 2.1 seconds to get off a shot in their 83-82 loss.

The trio of Salvatore, Dick Bavetta and Dan Crawford certainly is a veteran crew. But Bavetta has often been referred to as "Knick" Bavetta for a perceived favoritism and Salvatore has never been better than a mediocre official. That leaves us with Crawford, who is one of the solid officials who has been around long enough to call it straight. It's hard to believe there wasn't a better crew available for the Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The real problem is the NBA game is nearly impossible to officiate correctly most of the time. All the fans, teams and media can hope for is consistency, and the development of some good young officials. Unfortunately, officials do not come along at the same rate, nor do they develop as quickly, as players.

It is a can't win proposition for NBA vice president of operations Rod Thorn and Ed T. Rush, the director of officials.

Nevertheless, it doesn't make it any more palatable to watch.

Shots from the Perimeter

• Most people believed Michael Jordan would have named Mike Jarvis as the new coach of the Wizards by now. After all, Jordan's deadline for a new coach was Sunday. But the contract negotiations broke down and Jarvis pulled his name out of the running on Monday. The Wizards were offering a four-year deal for less than $10 million and Jarvis wanted seven years for nearly $30 million. From the beginning, the logical deal appeared to be the same five-year, $15 million deal Tom Izzo rejected from Atlanta. On the other hand, Jarvis has been a moderately successful college coach compared to Izzo coming off a national championship, which followed another Final Four trip.
• Don't be surprised if the Nets trade the first pick of the draft, and probably package it to get an All-Star who can get them to the playoffs. Otherwise, they'll take Texas 7-footer Chris Mihm. But first, they have to get a new coach and president.
• Monday is a huge night in the future of the Charlotte Hornets, as managing partner Ray Woolridge makes a new presentation to the city for an arena. Most people believe he must come up with at least half the money himself before the city will consider it, compared to his original package that had the Hornets paying nothing. Considering how poorly the city supported the team in the playoffs and during the regular season, nobody would be surprised if they moved after the coming season. Nashville, Louisville and New Orleans are the best bets, although St. Louis Blues owner Bill Laurie would buy the team outright in a second.
• Shaquille O'Neal continues to lead all scorers (30.8) and rebounders (16.3) in the playoffs. Karl Malone (27.2) and David Robinson (13.8) are second in the two categories, respectively. John Stockton (10.3) leads in assists and only Indiana's Mark Jackson (8.2) is still alive among the top 10.
• The NBA Finals will begin June 7, unless both conference finals are completed by May 31, then it will start on June 4.