Heat Gets Worst of an Ugly One

To Coach Pat Riley, the Miami Heat’s 82-76 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday meant more than the loss of home-court advantage in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

That the Heat converted only seven of 20 free throws in the first half yet trailed by only four--and still lost--was a personal affront to Riley. That the Knicks shot 35.3% from the floor and that Latrell Sprewell, Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston were a combined nine for 29 and the Knicks still prevailed to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1 exasperated him almost beyond his power to express it.

A hobbled Ewing and the Knicks’ shaky shooting were invitations for the Heat to take a commanding series lead. The Heat, which won the teams’ first playoff series in 1997 but lost the next two, could have exerted considerable pressure on the Knicks in the next two games, at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday and Sunday. It could have been the first team to take a 2-0 lead in four consecutive postseason encounters.

But in what Riley called a “surreal game for me to watch,” the Heat failed to step up statistically or psychologically before a sellout crowd of 20,078 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami’s defense was fine. Its offense--33.8% shooting, including five for 18 by center Alonzo Mourning and 57.6% shooting from the free-throw line--was indefensible.

“It’s been four years of sort of wire to wire,” Riley said. “Three hundred sixty-five days, 328 games we have played [over four seasons] to stay ahead of people in the Eastern Conference. I think it comes down to 1,460 days, 35,000 hours and over 8 million seconds and we give it all back in one two-hour span. Add it up.”

Riley’s math may be off because he didn’t account for last season’s lockout, but his point is valid.

The Heat faltered when it mattered most. The Knicks, aging and aching--Ewing’s mobility remains limited by back problems and Marcus Camby needed treatment during the game for a bruised right elbow and cut right eye--manufactured ways to win when their shooting went sour and when Jamal Mashburn, playing all 48 minutes, burned them for 25 points.

Camby, playing in pain after a second-quarter fall, added 10 points off the bench to join every starter in double figures. And point guard Charlie Ward made two key three-point shots in the third quarter to help the Knicks extend a four-point halftime lead to nine, in addition to grabbing a rebound on a missed jumper by Anthony Carter to halt a Heat surge in the fourth quarter.

Chagrined at what they considered passive play in the series opener, the Knicks were more aggressive from the outset Tuesday. They went on an 11-0 run late in the first quarter to build a 23-15 lead, but the Heat--despite horrendous free-throw shooting, was within 38-34 at halftime. “Our free-throw defense was outstanding tonight,” Knick Coach Jeff Van Gundy said wryly.

A 19-4 Knick run nearly put the game beyond reach in the fourth quarter, but Mashburn gave the home fans hope and gave the Knicks a few nervous moments by keying a 13-2 Miami surge that cut the Knicks’ lead to 76-69. But Ewing’s putback of a Sprewell miss restored the Knicks’ cushion and their confidence.

“You saw two very good defenses get after it,” Riley said. “If you take a look at all the numbers across the board, every statistical category we pretty much win, but the ones we didn’t win were field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage.

That’s what it came down to. Free throws keep you close and then you hope to make plays at the end. . . . It was a horrendous offensive performance in a very significant game.”