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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
MIAMI (AP) – When Muhammad Ali and his 10-year-old son, Asaad,
visited the Miami Heat locker room following Sunday's game, the
youngster slowly approached Tim Hardaway for an autograph.
|  | | Jeff Van Gundy apologized to his players after being ejected at the end Sunday. |
"He thinks you're great," Ali said.
"He thinks we're the greatest?" Hardaway said with a grin.
"He's right."
The Heat let the New York Knicks off the ropes but still won
bragging rights – for now – with an 81-76 victory.
Hardaway scored 25 points, including 14 consecutive Heat points
in the third period to put them ahead 60-43. Then came the
inevitable wild finish so characteristic of the rivalry.
Led by Marcus Camby, New York rallied and cut the deficit to
76-74 with 25 seconds left. The Knicks' Charlie Ward was then
called for a flagrant foul on Bruce Bowen, and when New York coach
Jeff Van Gundy argued at length, he received a technical and was
ejected by referee Joe Crawford.
The calls helped give the Heat seven free throws in the final
20.4 seconds, and they made five to clinch the win.
The technical probably didn't cost New York the game, but Van
Gundy admitted he was wrong to lose his temper then.
"It was a mistake on my part," Van Gundy said.
"He apologized to us," Knicks forward Glen Rice said, "and we
apologized to him for the way we played in the first half."
Ward said he didn't mean to foul Bowen so hard.
"I tripped when I got there," said Ward, who took a tumble on
the play. "I almost broke my neck. It's a judgment call. They make
them, and you have to live with it."
With six regular-season games remaining, Miami took a one-game
lead over New York in the playoff race for the No. 3 seeding in the
Eastern Conference. The Heat had lost their previous three games
against the Knicks, who took the season series 3-2.
The rivals have met in the postseason each of the past four
years, with New York eliminating Miami the past three years. This
season it's unlikely their paths would cross before the conference
finals.
Alonzo Mourning, facing New York for the first time since his
comeback from a kidney ailment, had 11 points and four rebounds in
25 minutes. He missed four consecutive free throws in the final 73
seconds, but the Heat improved to 4-3 since his return after
missing the first 69 games.
Bowen went 2-for-13 but sparked a smothering defensive effort
with a career-high six steals.
"If the shots aren't falling, you've got to do something else
to affect the game," he said.
The Heat shot only 36 percent but forced 18 turnovers.
Hardaway's performance was reminiscent of many previous games
against the Knicks, but he has rarely shot so well this season.
After being shut out for the first time in three years by Charlotte
Friday, he came out gunning and finished 9-for-16 with three
3-pointers.
"Some nights you're going to come out and fill it," he said.
"Some nights you're not."
Camby had 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who were
without swingman Latrell Sprewell. He didn't dress because of a
stomach virus.
"We missed Sprewell a lot," Rice said. "His penetration could
have opened things up for us."
The crowd of 20,103, which included Ali next to the Miami bench,
was the largest ever for a Heat home game. Many of the fans roared
as the Knicks mounted their comeback.
The game was physical, but there were none of the ugly incidents
that made the rivalry so notorious for several seasons.
In the second quarter, longtime antagonists Mourning and Larry
Johnson glared at each other following a skirmish under the basket,
then exchanged high-fives. New York's Kurt Thomas drew a technical
when he took Bowen to the floor with 2:32 left in the game.
"The intensity was definitely there," Mourning said. "What
else is new?"
The Knicks missed 16 of their first 21 shots as Miami raced to a
28-13 first-quarter lead. The margin was 44-34 at halftime.
Unlike Ali, the Heat couldn't deliver a knockout punch.
"We had them dead in the water," coach Pat Riley said with a
rueful smile. "I thought that; everybody thought that. It turned
out to be a rock 'n' roll affair. I'm just glad we won it."
Game notes
Riley said shooting guard Eddie Jones, who has missed 15
games because of a dislocated shoulder, likely will be activated
this week. ... The Knicks and Heat rank 1-2 in the NBA in scoring
defense. ... Miami's Anthony Carter, who is 6-foot-2, outleaped 6-9
Othella Harrington for a jump ball. ... Camby gave the Knicks a
scare when he twisted his knee and limped off with 4:52 left, but
he was back in the game less than 90 seconds later.
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NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
RECAPS
Miami 81
New York 76
Indiana 108
New Jersey 83
Sacramento 98
Portland 89
Toronto 100
Chicago 88
LA Lakers 104
Minnesota 99
San Antonio 84
Golden State 76
Seattle 101
Milwaukee 88
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