New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat Preview: How, Who to Watch in Black Friday Special

As part of In-Season Tournament action, the New York Knicks and Miami Heat will do battle for the first time since the latter prevailed in a six-game playoff series last spring.

It's not a holiday gathering without some old friends getting together.

This Black Friday, the New York Knicks and Miami Heat will meet for the first time since their Eastern Conference Semifinal series last spring and there's a little something extra on the line again: Friday's game will likely go a long way in deciding Group B in the East's In-Season Tournament pool play and perhaps even the conference's four-team bracket bound for Vegas as a whole. 

New York will be back at home after wrapping up a five-game road trip in Minnesota on Monday. The Knicks went 3-2 on what's tied for their longest outing of the season and now face four at home to close out November. Miami's visit gives the Knicks a chance to bone up against superior competition: New York has feasted on smaller squads but currently holds a 1-5 mark against teams that currently boast a winning record

Miami, the defending Eastern Conference champion after disposing of the Knicks last year, has healthily recovered from a 1-4 start with wins in all but one of its past 10. The Heat went into Thanksgiving on a high note, crushing the Cleveland Cavaliers by a 129-96 final on Wednesday night.

Friday will feature the first of three meetings between the Knicks and Heat this season. Two are slated for Manhattan hardwood, as the Heat come back on Jan. 27. The Knicks won three of four regular season meetings last season, including both at MSG.

What: Miami Heat (10-5, 2-0) @ New York Knicks (8-6, 1-1) (In-Season Tournament)

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 

When/Watch: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN

Who's Favored: NYK -5.5

Keep An Eye On: Donte DiVincenzo 

The biggest difference from the last time the Knicks faced the Heat is DiVincenzo, who essentially replaced Obi Toppin in the New York rotation. Last time around, the Heat used effective performances from the bench (i.e. Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin) to end the Knicks' most successful season in a decade and DiVincenzo has offered a similar spark on the modern edition. As the Knicks face their harbingers of doom, DiVincenzo's progress offers an intriguing opportunity to show how far they've come over the past few months. 

South Floridian to Watch: Thomas Bryant

Another newcomer to the Heat-Knicks rivalry, Bryant is set to serve as a depth star: with Bam Adebayo in tow, Miami seems quite capable of countering the Knicks' historic rebounding efforts. The tenured Adebayo, however, is listed as both day-to-day and questionable with a hip injury that kept him out of Wednesday's win over Cleveland. Offered his first Miami start was Bryant, who put up 10 points and seven rebounds. He'll have his work cut out for him come Friday night as Mitchell Robinson continues to put up obscene numbers on the glass.

They Said It

“Last year had nothing to do with this year. (We) just get ready for this season and focus on each day and that’s what we try to do. We try to build that habit and not get distracted by any outside noise and I think that’s a big part of winning in this league.”-Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau on facing the Heat again (h/t Stefan Bondy, New York Post)

Should the Heat-Celtics Series Grant the Knicks Peace?

Prediction

There's a lot of weight attached to the Knicks' first game against the Heat: in addition to the rivalry and In-Season Tournament implications, they'll also be taking to MSG hardwood for the first time in nearly two full weeks. If they don't get lost in all the hoopla, a golden opportunity awaits. Well-rested and eager for something to prove, it doesn't feel like too much of a stretch to expect them to take it.

Knicks 114, Heat 107