How Heat and Knicks match up, a big difference from yesteryear and things to keep in mind

When the Heat and Knicks met 24 times in postseason at the peak of their rivalry, delivering riveting off-Broadway theater for four consecutive Mays, only once did either team score 100 points in a game. And the Heat barely did that in a 101-90 Game 7 second-round win against the Knicks in May 1997.

In 12 of those 24 games, neither team even reached 90.

In three of those 24 games, neither team even scored 80.

This Heat-Knicks playoff series — their first postseason meeting since 2012 and sixth ever — isn’t expected to be the brutish, highly contentious, defensive slugfests of Heat-Knicks turn-of-the-century yesteryear.

But it could be nearly as compelling, considering the stakes and the competitiveness of their regular-season games, two of which were decided by two points.

When the teams played four consecutive postseasons (1997-2000), all four series went to a deciding game. The Heat won the first year; the Knicks won the subsequent three.

The way the game is played today — with smaller lineups and more emphasis on spacing the floor — is dramatically different than that era of the NBA. In this series, either team scoring below 95 would be unusual.

The Knicks scored 106, 122, 127 and 101 in their four games against Miami this season, winning three of them.

The Heat scored 104, 120, 120 and 92.

The Heat has the NBA’s second-highest offensive rating this postseason, averaging 119 points per 100 possessions.

The Knicks were fourth in offensive rating during the regular season, scoring 117 points per 100 possessions, and ranked second in this metric after the All Star break.

The four-game season series included a wildly entertaining 122-120 Knicks win on March 3 in Miami; Julius Randle punctuating a 43-point night with a game-winning three pointer with 0.7 seconds left.

Randle enters this series nursing a left ankle injury that he re-aggravated in Wednesday’s close-out win against Cleveland. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said Randle didn’t do much at practice on Friday but that he’s feeling better and the coach is hopeful Randle will be ready for Game 1.

Five takeaways from the Heat-Knicks season series, to keep in mind entering this playoff series that begins 1 p.m. Sunday in New York City, on ABC:

▪ Much as Miami did against the Bucks, the Heat will need to compensate for the absence of Tyler Herro, who was Miami’s best and most efficient player on offense against the Knicks this season.

Herro remains out for another four weeks after hand surgery. Keep in mind that he averaged 23 points on 50.7 percent shooting in the four Knicks games, with 15 threes.

To compensate, the Heat will need an offensive lift from two players who were effective against the Knicks this season — Max Strus (who shot 11 for 18, including 9 of 14 on threes in four games against the Knicks) and Gabe Vincent (who shot 18 of 37 overall and 9 of 20 on threes against the Knicks).

They will also need an offensive lift from Duncan Robinson, who made 4 of 6 threes in 26 combined minutes against the Knicks, and Kyle Lowry, who was 6 for 16 in 48 minutes through two games in the season series.

▪ Bam Adebayo will need to continue to outplay Mitchell Robinson, and by a decisive margin.

Adebayo averaged 18.5 points and 7.8 rebounds and shot 50.9 percent (27 for 53) in the four games. Robinson averaged 4.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in his three games against Miami.

But the 7-0 Robinson, who has a three-inch height advantage over Adebayo, is an excellent shot-blocker and had 18 rebounds in the Knicks’ Game 5 win against Cleveland.

Adebayo, playing through a hamstring injury, struggled at times against the 7-1 Brook Lopez, but Robinson should be a more favorable matchup.

▪ Besides controlling Randall (who averaged 21 points against Miami), the Heat must do a better job against Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett.

Brunson averaged 20.7 points and 5.7 assists and shot a highly efficient 58.5 percent from the field (24 for 41) in three games against the Heat.

Barrett, meanwhile, averaged 21.3 points and shot 51.6 percent against the Heat, above his overall season averages of 19.6 points per game and 43.4 percent shooting.

▪ Good luck with stopping Jimmy Butler.

Butler averaged 22.5 points (on 49.1 percent shooting and 3 for 4 on threes) and 6.3 assists in the four games against the Knicks. But “Playoff Jimmy” is otherworldly; he averaged 37.6 points and shot 59.7 percent from the field against the Bucks.

Don’t be surprised to see Josh Hart get a lot of minutes on Butler, who shot 6 for 22 (27.3 percent) when defended by Hart in five games this season; Hart played three of those games with the Knicks and two with Portland. Butler, 6-7, has a three-inch height advantage in that matchup.

Butler shot 7 for 16 against Knicks 6-5 guard Quentin Grimes, who missed Wednesday’s game with a shoulder contusion. His status for Game 1 is uncertain.

▪ The Heat needs to rebound more effectively, and the Knicks need to commit fewer turnovers and shoot free throws better.

In their four matchups this season, New York outrebounded Miami, 167-136. Randle (7.5 boards per game) and Hart and Robinson (6.3 apiece) were the Knicks’ leading rebounders against the Heat. Adebayo’s 7.8 rebounds per game in the season series were below his 9.2 season average.

But the Knicks were hurt by turnovers in the season series, committing 63 to the Heat’s 44; Randle committed 16 and Barrett 11.

New York also struggled with free throws, making just 57 of 83 (68.7 percent) against the Heat.

Both teams shot at high levels against the other. New York shot 51.9 percent in the four games. Miami shot 48.5 percent overall in the four games and a sizzling 42.2 percent on threes.