On March 1, 1991, Dave Checketts was named as the team president for the New York Knicks, and hired Riley as head coach for the 1992 season.

In only Riley's second season as Miami's head coach, the Heat dethroned New York as Atlantic Division champions.

The matchup was set up when the Knicks swept the Charlotte Hornets and the Heat needing the full five games to dispose of their in-state rivals the Orlando Magic in the opening round.

During the brawl, Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson and John Starks left the bench; the league punished them for this by handing out 1-game suspensions spread out over the series' final 2 games.

New York regressed, largely due to Ewing suffering a severely broken wrist that forced him to miss most of the regular season, and only attained the seventh seed in the East.

In the fourth, Tim Hardaway connected on a number of long and improbable 3's until with over 6 minutes left, the Heat only trailed 72–70.

However, the Knicks retook the momentum on a sequence consisting of a Ward 3-pointer, an Allan Houston jumper and free throw, and then a fast-break layup by Charles Oakley, on which he was fouled from behind and fell into the stands (this was ruled to be a flagrant, meaning the Knicks shot free throws and retained possession).

The lockout-shortened 1998–99 season saw the Heat try to move past the previous year's playoff disappointment as Michael Jordan's retirement saw the Bulls quickly fade as an NBA title threat.

The Knicks had a chance to clinch at home in Game 4, as they held an 8-point lead until Miami charged back to win 87–72 to take it to the limit.

They swept the Hawks in the semifinals and defeated the Pacers in 6 to clinch their second Eastern Conference Title in five years and advance to the 1999 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Spurs.

While the Heat won the Atlantic Division for the 4th year in a row, the Knicks were right on their tail, finishing only two games back and capturing the third seed.

On Miami's final possession, rookie Anthony Carter drove from the baseline and launched a tough and maybe illegal shot from behind the backboard.

Back in Miami for Game 5, the Heat came from behind with a sequence of 3's in the final 2 minutes (2 from Dan Majerle and the last one from Bruce Bowen), and won 87–81.

Terry Cummings received an inbounds pass and shot a short leaner on the baseline that hit the rim and bounced away.

The game entered the 4th quarter with Miami still up by 16, but the Knicks came back, outscoring the Heat 34–16 in the final quarter to win 82–80 and help jump-start the slumping Knicks, who were only 22–21 at this time, to a final surge which would lead to them capturing the #8 seed in the playoffs and eventually defeat top-seeded Miami in the first round that year.

In its prime, this rivalry was very physical and marked by low-scoring, defensive-oriented affairs, with players on both teams giving their best effort in every game.

On March 15, 2005, Heat guard Dwyane Wade hit the game-winner at the buzzer against the Knicks in New York to beat them 98–96.

[5] On January 26, 2007, Knicks guard Jamal Crawford scored a career-high 52 points on 20–30 shooting, including 8 3-pointers, against the Heat en route to a 116–96 victory for New York.

[6] On February 28, 2009, Dwyane Wade scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Heat overcome a 16-point second-half deficit to defeat the Knicks 120–115.

His performance was one point shy of the Miami Heat record set by Glen Rice's 56-point outburst against the Orlando Magic on April 15, 1995.

The Knicks like many other NBA teams had all spent their last two seasons re-engineering rosters to accommodate James' potential contract.

Earlier that week, former Phoenix Suns forward Amar'e Stoudemire announced his intention to sign with the New York Knicks.

On February 21, 2011, the Knicks acquired All-Star small forward Carmelo Anthony in a three team trade involving the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

On February 27, 2011, The Knicks faced the Heat at Miami for the first time since acquiring Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups and won 91–86.

The Knicks improved in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA season, in part due to the acquisition of point guard Jeremy Lin.

[7] However, the Heat beat the Knicks 102–88 in Miami, and eventually swept the season series 3–0 which squashed any semblance of re-igniting a rivalry.

On November 2, 2012, The Knicks' opener against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center was postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy and the damage it caused to New York and New Jersey, such as flooding and leaving millions without power.

Knicks fans started chanting "Beat the Heat" at Madison Square Garden during the second-to-last game of the regular season.

"[8] Likewise, Heat guard Dwyane Wade said: "I have been here awhile and I have seen the games that we've won against New York and how the people in the organization feel every time.

However, led by Carmelo Anthony, who scored 41 points, the Knicks prevented a sweep, 89–87, as Wade missed the potential series-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.