Somewhere, there is a happy medium between aggression and the kind of violence and goonery that led to the brawls the Knicks and Heat waged in their 1997 and 1998 playoff showdowns.
And while Jeff Van Gundy knows the Charlie Ward-P.J. Brown incident cost the Knicks a chance at the title in ’97, he also doesn’t want his Knicks to go into this year’s series as pacifists. That’s the surest way
they go down to defeat against the rugged Heat in the best-of-7 second-round series that begins tomorrow in Miami.
“They know the consequences of not playing hard enough, they know the consequences of not being ready to compete, and obviously they know the consequences if they do something foolish like that as well,” Van Gundy said yesterday at Purchase College. “We’ve learned from the past, but you have to be careful. You keep talking about lack of aggression and you’ll be back on your heels.”
Red Auerbach said yesterday he expects a “bloodbath” when the two rivals tangle for the fourth straight year in the playoffs and warned that the referees better be on their toes.
All week, the participants of Knicks-Heat IV have assured us that the brawling days of this rivalry are over. But don’t be so sure the first time Brown pushes Latrell Sprewell on a breakaway layup.
“I wouldn’t be surprised [if there’s another fight],” Allan Houston said. “I’m not going to expect it. But I wouldn’t be surprised. You learn from it. It’s not going to get you anywhere. We’ve learned from the past – emotion can take you so far and can also bring you down. We have to find the balance.”
Since Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning tried to maim each other in ’98, the fists have not flown between these teams. But perhaps it was telling that Miami coach Pat Riley reminisced about the “fun” days of the rivalry, referring to the fights.
Whether or not this series contains another suspension-laden episode, it’s still going to be a nasty bunch of games, much more physical than the Toronto sweep. Mourning is an elbow-throwing menace and you can never accuse Brown of being Mr. Clean.
“It’s an all-out brawl,” Johnson said of facing Miami. “We get up there [at midcourt] and say to each other, ‘Good game, good game.’ From then on, we’re just slugging it out.”
“People know it’s going to be physical because Alonzo is very physical inside and we have to match his intensity,” enforcer Kurt Thomas said. “He’s going to be pushing. He’s going to be shoving. We’re going to be pushing and we’re going to be shoving. That’s basically where it’s going to start at.”
Van Gundy no longer considers the Knicks a physical team and it has hurt their ability to be a fierce rebounding team. The Charles Oakley-for-Marcus Camby swap before last season made the Knicks less tough and more athletic, and he’s concerned about Miami’s inside brawn.
“They just have more bigger, wider bodies,” Van Gundy aid. “Mourning, [Clarence] Weatherspoon, [Otis] Thorpe, Jamal Mashburn. They’re just bigger at most positions in bulk.”
Latrell Sprewell has the rep for off-the-court violence when he choked his coach P.J. Carlesimo. But he says he’s never gotten into a scrap on the court. Sprewell remembers seeing the highlights of the ’97 and ’98 Knick-Heat brawls.
“I was like ooh, aahh, like everyone else,” Sprewell said. “I would be surprised. I don’t think there would be any fighting. It’s physical and we both want to win. It’s not about fighting. It’s about playing good basketball.”
If there was to be retribution this season, it would’ve occurred after Marcus Camby was pushed from behind by rookie Anthony Carter as Camby went up for a layup. Camby landed awkwardly, crashing to the court and missing five weeks with a strained ACL. Tempers remained cool.
“I hope no fights break out,” Camby said. “Both teams know we don’t want to lose valuable players. We’re both shooting to win a championship.”
Of the pushing incident, Camby said, “It was a light push. I was up in the air off-balance. I don’t think it was done deliberately. No grudge, no animosity.”
That’s been the company line. No grudge, no animosity. We’ll see if the teams still love each other after a week.