Ranking the greatest individual Heat playoff series performances of all time
By Azam Masood
The Playoff Round: 1998 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals (Heat lose 2-3)
The Player & The Line: Tim Hardaway, 26.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 6.6 APG on 45-44-78 shooting splits
The Context: Sunday’s Game 1 against the Knicks will mark 25 years to the day that Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson got into their infamous fist fight (or, rather, an air punching contest). Unfortunately, that was a pivotal Game 4 of the series that Miami had lost. Tied 2-2, both Mourning and Johnson were suspended and Miami would end up losing Game 5 without their offensive and defensive anchor. It’s a shame because Hardaway would have a magnificent series, especially when you factor in the Heat as a team averaged 87.4 PPG total with the languid pace and rough-and-tumble nature of late-90s NBA basketball.