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The SLAM ICONS project began in 2026 as a new series of digital covers celebrating storied players, teams and moments across basketball history.
There was bad blood between the Knicks and the Heat of the late ‘90s. Lots of it. Hall of Fame head coach Pat Riley left New York for Miami in 1995. Between 1997 and 2000, they played each other in four straight postseasons. Two of those matchups featured all-out brawls. The first time they got active was in the ‘97 playoffs. The Heat won that game and that series. The next time there was some commotion was in the ‘98 playoffs. The Knicks won that game and that series.
By the time the ‘99 playoffs tipped off, Miami was the number one seed in the East. They were set to host the eighth-seeded Knicks. Cakewalk for Riles and them, right? Sike.
The Knicks became just the second eighth seed in NBA history to eliminate the number one. Up to that point, they were also the only eighth seed to make the Finals.
So how did they do it? How did the Knicks send their former coach to an early summer vacation?
They gave the ball to their sharpshooting two-guard and trusted him to carve into the heart of Miami’s viscous defense. The floater he hit in the waning seconds of that elimination game bounced on the rim a few times before it fell through. The ball landed right in front of the man who put it up. His momentum carried it to him and he punched it with his right hand before he sprinted to the other end of the floor and pumped his fist into the air.
The Knicks didn’t pack them up with another fight. They did the opposite. They ended that series with the calm touch of Allan Houston, who amidst all the chaos that goes with playing in New York, consistently moved with serenity through every storm.
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