Bad Call Leaves Knicks Fuming

The outraged New York Knicks stormed en masse toward the officials. The Miami Heat celebrated and claimed they were saved by the buzzer.

The refs huddled, the outcome stood: Miami 82, New York 81.

The Atlantic Division rivals had another controversial meeting Sunday that left everyone asking three questions:

1. Did Allan Houston's shot beat the buzzer?
2. Will the outcome stand?
3. Rematch, anyone?

The answers: Yes. Maybe. Could be.

Houston's last-second basket was waved off by the officials, who wrongly ruled that it came after the buzzer, and the Heat escaped with a win that damaged the Knicks' chances of holding onto seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Television replays indicated Houston released the shot with at least one-tenth of a second remaining.

The Knicks planned to file a protest Monday with NBA Commissioner David Stern.

"David will take all the evidence and make a ruling," league spokesman Brian McIntyre said.

When referee Bob Delaney signaled the basket didn't count, the Knicks charged toward him. Coach Jeff Van Gundy led the way, shouting in protest and then ripping off his coat.

"There was no doubt that the basket was good," Van Gundy said. ``As soon as it left Houston's hands, I knew it was good. The ball went in with two-tenths of a second left."

Said Heat guard Tim Hardaway: "Happy Easter, everybody."

Barring a reversal, the Heat won thanks to three baskets by Hardaway in the final two minutes, reducing the odds that Miami and New York will meet in the opening round of the playoffs. But a sequel to last year's suspension-filled postseason series remains possible.

New York went into Sunday's game leading New Jersey by one-half game in the battle for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. The Nets played Sunday night at Toronto.

The seventh seed will play Miami in the opening round next week, while the eighth seed must play defending champion Chicago.

Heat forward P.J. Brown admitted he would prefer not to play the Knicks in the first round.

"They're dangerous, and we're so similar," he said. ``It's great for the fans and the two cities, but it might get ugly. You won't see a lot of pretty plays."

The frantic finish began after Miami's Dan Majerle missed a 3-pointer, and New York inbounded at midcourt with 4.4 seconds left. Chris Mills took the pass and drove past Mourning but missed a short runner. Charles Oakley missed a tip, and Majerle then slapped the ball in the direction of an airborne Houston.

"It was the longest 4.4 seconds I've been involved in," Mourning said.

Houston hastily threw up one last attempt at the buzzer.

"The shot was good," Teammate Chris Childs said. ``You all know it, the Heat knew it, the referees knew it, NBC knows it and the world knows it. The shot was good. But nobody had the courage to say it was good."

Referee Delaney immediately signaled the shot didn't count. After conferring briefly with the two other officials, the ruling stood.

"Any time there is a controversial play, we always huddle and decide," head official Hugh Evans told a pool reporter. "There was not a difference of opinion."

"The referees said nothing to me. They were stoic," Van Gundy said. "There are no finer referees that Hugh or Bob. Hugh knew it was good but he couldn't overrule Bob. It seems every time we come down here, bad things happen."

Both teams shot less than 40 percent. Hardaway, who missed seven of his first nine shots, finished with 21 points, while Alonzo Mourning had 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Houston had 21 points for the Knicks, who played without forward Larry Johnson. He twisted an ankle during Wednesday's victory over Miami, and his status is day-to-day.

The Heat earned their eighth consecutive home victory, and the Knicks sustained their fifth straight road loss. The season series ended at 2-2.

"Obviously in the four games that we've played, this is about as close as you are going to get to equality," Miami coach Pat Riley said.

Hardaway's basket with 1:57 left tied the score for the 17th time at 78. Childs hit a 3-pointer with 1:35 left, giving New York an 81-78 lead. But Hardaway scored, Childs missed a shot, and Hardaway hit a twisting layup with 44 seconds left, putting Miami ahead 82-81.

It was 18th and final lead change.

"Hardaway made a great shot, and then we made a great shot," Van Gundy said. "Ours just didn't count. ... These referees are some of the best in the league. They're just trying to do the best job they can. The hard thing is, they can make up mistakes throughout the game, because you have time. In this situation, there's no time to make up the call."

Notes