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Sunday, Apr. 8 12:30pm ET
Heat take one-game lead for East's third spot

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MIAMI (AP) – When Muhammad Ali and his 10-year-old son, Asaad, visited the Miami Heat locker room following Sunday's game, the youngster slowly approached Tim Hardaway for an autograph.

Jeff Van Gundy apologized to his players after being ejected at the end Sunday.

"He thinks you're great," Ali said.

"He thinks we're the greatest?" Hardaway said with a grin. "He's right."

The Heat let the New York Knicks off the ropes but still won bragging rights – for now – with an 81-76 victory.

Hardaway scored 25 points, including 14 consecutive Heat points in the third period to put them ahead 60-43. Then came the inevitable wild finish so characteristic of the rivalry.

Led by Marcus Camby, New York rallied and cut the deficit to 76-74 with 25 seconds left. The Knicks' Charlie Ward was then called for a flagrant foul on Bruce Bowen, and when New York coach Jeff Van Gundy argued at length, he received a technical and was ejected by referee Joe Crawford.

The calls helped give the Heat seven free throws in the final 20.4 seconds, and they made five to clinch the win.

The technical probably didn't cost New York the game, but Van Gundy admitted he was wrong to lose his temper then.

"It was a mistake on my part," Van Gundy said.

"He apologized to us," Knicks forward Glen Rice said, "and we apologized to him for the way we played in the first half."

Ward said he didn't mean to foul Bowen so hard.

"I tripped when I got there," said Ward, who took a tumble on the play. "I almost broke my neck. It's a judgment call. They make them, and you have to live with it."

With six regular-season games remaining, Miami took a one-game lead over New York in the playoff race for the No. 3 seeding in the Eastern Conference. The Heat had lost their previous three games against the Knicks, who took the season series 3-2.

The rivals have met in the postseason each of the past four years, with New York eliminating Miami the past three years. This season it's unlikely their paths would cross before the conference finals.

Alonzo Mourning, facing New York for the first time since his comeback from a kidney ailment, had 11 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes. He missed four consecutive free throws in the final 73 seconds, but the Heat improved to 4-3 since his return after missing the first 69 games.

Bowen went 2-for-13 but sparked a smothering defensive effort with a career-high six steals.

"If the shots aren't falling, you've got to do something else to affect the game," he said.

The Heat shot only 36 percent but forced 18 turnovers.

Hardaway's performance was reminiscent of many previous games against the Knicks, but he has rarely shot so well this season. After being shut out for the first time in three years by Charlotte Friday, he came out gunning and finished 9-for-16 with three 3-pointers.

"Some nights you're going to come out and fill it," he said. "Some nights you're not."

Camby had 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who were without swingman Latrell Sprewell. He didn't dress because of a stomach virus.

"We missed Sprewell a lot," Rice said. "His penetration could have opened things up for us."

The crowd of 20,103, which included Ali next to the Miami bench, was the largest ever for a Heat home game. Many of the fans roared as the Knicks mounted their comeback.

The game was physical, but there were none of the ugly incidents that made the rivalry so notorious for several seasons.

In the second quarter, longtime antagonists Mourning and Larry Johnson glared at each other following a skirmish under the basket, then exchanged high-fives. New York's Kurt Thomas drew a technical when he took Bowen to the floor with 2:32 left in the game.

"The intensity was definitely there," Mourning said. "What else is new?"

The Knicks missed 16 of their first 21 shots as Miami raced to a 28-13 first-quarter lead. The margin was 44-34 at halftime.

Unlike Ali, the Heat couldn't deliver a knockout punch.

"We had them dead in the water," coach Pat Riley said with a rueful smile. "I thought that; everybody thought that. It turned out to be a rock 'n' roll affair. I'm just glad we won it."

Game notes
Riley said shooting guard Eddie Jones, who has missed 15 games because of a dislocated shoulder, likely will be activated this week. ... The Knicks and Heat rank 1-2 in the NBA in scoring defense. ... Miami's Anthony Carter, who is 6-foot-2, outleaped 6-9 Othella Harrington for a jump ball. ... Camby gave the Knicks a scare when he twisted his knee and limped off with 4:52 left, but he was back in the game less than 90 seconds later.

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Miami 81
New York 76

Indiana 108
New Jersey 83

Sacramento 98
Portland 89

Toronto 100
Chicago 88

LA Lakers 104
Minnesota 99

San Antonio 84
Golden State 76

Seattle 101
Milwaukee 88


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