Leaders of the Heat:

No more big 3 means that there must be a new leader in this Miami team. People like Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, and Dion Waiters are really important players for scoring reasons, but I still believe that this team belongs to 3 players.

Goran Dragic. This guy from Slovenia proves himself as one of the best players from Europe. He is scoring over 17 points, dishing 6 passes, and adds 4 rebounds per game. Also, his is a very sticky defender, making life for opponents a little harder. Anyway, Goaran is the main guy when it comes to creating offense in Miami, and his game will be an influential one versus the Knicks.

Justise Winslow. This guy is the future of Miami Heat, but well, he is already providing big. 12 points, and over 4 assists and rebounds per game is pretty impressive for a 20 year old. The only problem is his shooting beyond the arc, which is a staggering 20 percent. The kid will have to work on this aspect of the game, if he wants to be an all-star (who doesn't?) in this type of NBA.

Hassan Whiteside. No doubts that this man is the most influential in Miami's team. 17 points and 15 boards per game is sick numbers. Whiteside is the best rebounder of the league this year and Miami Heat must be thankful to this guy for those 7 victories so far. He could improve his free-throw shooting, but being such a monster in the paint, he is still fine. I highly predict that he will play in NBA all-stars game this year.

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The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami.The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. They play their home games at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami. The team owner is Micky Arison, who also owns cruise-ship giant Carnival Corporation. The team president and de facto general manager is Pat Riley, and the head coach is Erik Spoelstra. The mascot of the team is Burnie, an anthropomorphic fireball.

Formed in 1988 as an expansion team, the Heat have won three league championships (in 2006, 2012 and 2013), five conference titles and 11 division titles. From February 3 to March 27, 2013, the Heat won 27 games in a row, the third-longest streak in NBA history (after the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors' 28 wins and the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers' 33 wins). In 2016, Forbes valued the Heat at $1.3 billion as the tenth most valuable among NBA franchises.

The Heat are not related to the Miami Floridians, an American Basketball Association (ABA) team in the early 1970s, although the Heat have occasionally paid tribute to the older franchise by wearing a replica version of the Floridians' uniforms for the NBA's "Hardwood Classics Nights" during the 2005–06 and 2011–12 seasons.

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New York Knicks

Last year the New York Knicks were one of the most tragic teams in whole NBA. It is a real shame for New York, so owners of the team spent some money off-season and bought Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and some role players. Porzingis also improved a lot from last season. What do we have? A winning team. To be honest, I don't remember the last time the New York Knicks showed signs of quality. It does not matter now, because this team is 7th in the East Conference with 10-9 win ratio, and real chances to make it to play-offs.

Leaders of New York Knicks:

This team is focused around 3 main players - Carmelo, Rose, and Porzingis. All the other guys are good role players. They know their tasks on the field and they usually produce. However, the outcome of the game is decided by the big 3.

Carmelo Anthony. He is playing his 6th season with Knicks, and this team belongs to him. This year, Anthony is averaging 23 points and 6 rebounds per game, and is the main option on the clutch time. At the age of 32, his defense is not the best anymore (just like most of the team), he is not that rapid as he used to be, but he is still Carmelo Anthony - arguably the best ever player for team USA.

Derrick Rose. Former MVP of NBA had some very tough years, because of his injuries. Rose is still 28 years old and we might still see him playing the game, which he used to play before injuries. However, that might be too optimistic. The only thing that Knicks fans will be praying for is healthy Rose. There are moments already when Rose dives to the basket as if he never had an injury, and those moments will be more and more often if everything is all right. As for now, he scores 17 points per game, makes 4.8 assists and gets 4 rebounds.

Kristaps Porzingis. 21 years old Latvian was not welcomed to New York with hands wide open. Fans were really disappointed to see Porzingis being drafted as a 4th pick in 2015 drafts, so poor boy had to prove himself with double energy. And he did. Today he is becoming a fan favorite center, who shoots over 40 percent beyond the arc, averages 21 points and 7 boards. A real contender to become all-star in near future.

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The New York Knickerbockers, commonly referred to as the Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in New York City. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, located in the borough of Manhattan. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the Brooklyn Nets. The team, established by Ned Irish in 1946, was one of the founding members of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which became the NBA after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949. Along with the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of only two original NBA teams still located in its original city.

The Knicks were successful during their early years and were constant playoff contenders under the franchise's first head coach Joe Lapchick. Beginning in 1950, the Knicks made three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, all of which were losing efforts. Lapchick resigned in 1956 and the team subsequently began to falter. It was not until the late 1960s when Red Holzman became head coach that the Knicks began to regain their former dominance. Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships, in 1970 and 1973. The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six playoff appearances; however, they failed to participate in the NBA Finals.

The playoff-level Knicks of the 1990s were led by future Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing; this era was marked by passionate rivalries with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat. During this time, they were known for playing tough defense under head coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy. During this era, the Knicks made two appearances in the NBA Finals, in 1994 and 1999, though they were unable to win an NBA championship.

Since 2000, the Knicks have struggled to regain their former glory. In 2012–13, the franchise won its first division title in 19 years, but was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. According to a 2016 Forbes report, the Knicks were the most-valuable NBA franchise, worth approximately $3 billion.