The Miami Heat Need To Be Prepared For A High-Scoring Series Against New York Knicks

After defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat became the first play-in team in NBA history to advance to the second round.

They play the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Game 1 starting Sunday in New York.

They are coming off 4-1 series victories in the first round but most sportsbooks have the Knicks favored to win the series.

This series reopens their rivalry, one of the best in the 1990s. They met in the playoffs 163 times, the last in 2012 when the Heat took a 4-1 series victory, led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The Heat hold a 15-14 playoff record against the Knicks.

Heat’s coach Erik Spoelstra is aware of the rivalry and looks forward to the series.

"It's always good for the league when there's a Heat-Knicks playoff series,” said Spoelstra, who earned his 100th playoff coaching victory.

As for the Knicks, they are just happy to make it past the first round. Josh Hart, who played 25 games with the Knicks after being traded by the Portland Trail Blazers, downplays the rivalry and wants to keep it in the past.

"It was 23, 27 years ago,” he mentioned. “Most of our guys weren't even born yet. For us, those are the war stories of the past. We've got our own path."

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau realizes how important this moment is for the franchise and the city.

“The tradition of the Knicks, not only what it means to the city and the league,” he said. "We have the best fans, best city, best arena. They respond to the way this team plays. It plays hard. It plays smart and it plays together.”

Although the Knicks’ leading scorer, Julius Randle, is dealing with a recurring ankle injury, the Heat still have a tough situation. They have to deal with the offensive performances from Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett, who carried the Knicks past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

With Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo sidelined due to injuries, the Heat need more of those scoring nights from Jimmy Butler. But they also need Bam Adebayo to step up. He struggled in the first round, averaging 17 points and eight rebounds. Since he’s going to be matched up against Mitchell Robinson, he’s got to be on top of his game.

The Heat also need to figure out how to win in New York. The Knicks won the season series 3-1 with the Heat’s lone victory being in Miami.

“We're a resilient group,” Butler said. “We stick together through everything.”

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.