New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns drives to the basket against Miami Heat forwards Duncan Robinson. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Knicks Can Continue Dominance Over Heat

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The New York Knicks are going into the upcoming season hoping to stick around as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks are hoping to establish themselves as a contender, so they need to maintain their dominance over some of the East's other teams. One team the Knicks have been able to get the best of is the Miami Heat, who have historically been one of the better teams in the conference.

The Knicks were eliminated by the hands of the Heat in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs. Since then, the Knicks have won five of six meetings against the Heat, including all three last season.

The Heat have fallen on tough times as of late, especially with Jimmy Butler requesting a trade in the middle of last season. Miami got Andrew Wiggins as the primary piece in return and there's a chance he could be elsewhere before the start of the 2025-26 campaign as well.

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart drives to the basket against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Heat are expected to roll out Terry Rozier as the starting point guard with Tyler Herro next to him in the backcourt. Both of them will be expected to turn things up a notch for the Heat as the season rolls along.

There is also potential for the team to have Norman Powell line up next to Herro instead of Rozier, which could create for some interesting lineup combinations.

If Wiggins starts at small forward, that means Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware are the likely frontcourt players. The big men for Miami could also be some of the best in the league. If they played the Knicks, there's a chance a starting lineup with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson could be a good counter for New York.

This is possibly the weakest the Heat have looked to start a season in years, so the Knicks have to take advantage with four games against them before the end of the 2024 calendar year.

If the Knicks can assert their dominance over the Heat, it could push the team further in the standings in the East.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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