What the Knicks making the finals means for Miami

The Miami Heat and New York Knicks have an extensive history. They have storied playoff battles that will live in NBA lore forever. Most famously playing in four straight playoffs from 1997-2000. Pat Riley famously left the Knicks to go to Miami to build a franchise with complete control. This move ultimately cost the Heat a first-round pick and cash to settle his departure. For older Heat fans, the Knicks are often the most hated rival. For the younger fans though, the Knicks hate is something taught, but the level is not reciprocated.

Have to ask my grandfather

The reason for this is because the Knicks fell off the NBA map for decades. Until this year they had not made the NBA Finals since 1999, one of those years they beat Miami. This season they will be looking for their first championship since 1973. For context on those numbers, not that they need it, I was not alive for the last Knicks Finals game, and my father was not born when the last time they won the title. So yes, brutal history for the storied franchise.

What about Miami

So how does any of this pertain to the Heat? Well, it shows how hard it truly is to compete in the NBA. Nothing is guaranteed in professional sports, so everything needs to be cherished and not taken for granted. Overall, the Heat has had an excellent history. Since the last time the Heat made the Finals, the Heat have been 7 times and winning 3 championships. This obviously shows success and when compared to a team like New York, it is hard to get upset.

What can the Heat learn from the Knicks history?

Any smart organization would look at others and see what they can learn, maybe what they should do or even the decisions they should avoid. The Heat can learn a valuable lesson from New York when reviewing their long return to NBA relevancy. That lesson is to not settle and do not just rely on your brand. The Knicks have had several good teams, but up until recently they never felt like a threat to actually win the Championship. They were always viewed as a decent team that could maybe win their first-round matchup. Despite this, I always felt like Knicks were okay with this as long as they made the playoffs. That is their first mistake, never settling with just being good. Secondly, it seems as if there was an overreliance on just being the Knicks. Being a storied franchise means something, but being an old, storied franchise means nothing if not even the players parents watched the last time they won a title. History only takes you so far, you have to prove in the present why players should play for your team.

Heat fans should be able to easily relate to those Knicks mistakes. At times it feels the Heat organization is okay with just making the playoffs and at times it can feel like they rely on being in Miami to make them an attritive destination. As far as if that is true or just perception, only the ones inside the building truly know.

For the Heat to return to glory, they need to not be afraid of making a tough decision even if it could backfire in the short term. Maybe that is paying a little bit more in a trade for a star than they originally want or maybe its moving on from homegrown talent. Then they need to continue to prove as to why players should want to play for their organization and not rely on past results. It has been 13 years since the Heat last won a title, and though that is not as long as many franchises, it is longer than anyone wants to wait. If the Heat are not careful, then more rivals will pass them.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as What the Knicks making the finals means for Miami.

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 12:21 AM.