Will the Miami Heat get the New York Knicks in round one of the NBA Playoffs?
The Miami Heat are clicking at the most quintessential time possible and have once again put the NBA on notice. They’re relentless, hawkish, and all with a hint of flamboyance.
With promising back-to-back wins over the Boston Celtics, the Heat have officially clinched the sixth seed or higher in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Standings and are fully vaccinated from the fear of participating in the league’s inaugural play-in Tournament.
Isiah Curry (@isiah_nba) – New York Knicks
Furthermore, it’s important for Miami to continue looking forward. You don’t have to remind them though, as it’s much expected for a team looking to make a push similar to last season where a bid to the 2020 NBA Finals was inevitable.
Now 38-31, the Heat sit just one game below the Hawks, who have one fewer game left than them and the next team of mention. That team and right below the Heat, sits a familiar opponent in NBA history, a team that defined a critical mid 1990’s rivalry — the New York Knicks.
The Knicks are set for their first playoff berth in almost eight seasons, back when the KnicksTape was in full-throttle. However, the present is now and the Heat should prefer the team that resides in the Big Apple as their 2021 first-round playoff opponent.
As both teams are now unqualified for the play-in tournament, this matchup is very likely to happen. To meet in the first round though, both Miami and New York must finish at the fourth and sixth seeds, with Atlanta finishing at fifth or sixth due to all the tie-breakers.
The Heat defeated New York in all three of their regular season matchups this year, with their last outing being a 98-88 win in Madison Square Garden back on March 29th. If this series were to become a reality, it should be a fun and exciting matchup, given the history and similar styles of the teams.
While both franchises are capable of pushing tempo, marquee clashes between the bigs, Julius Randle and Bam Adebayo, and between former Chicago Bulls teammates, Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose, would make for primetime television.
There seems to be a theme and with that, a clean sweep. Hopefully, things fall as the Heat need them to in order to make this dream matchup with the Knicks a reality.