(right shoulder discomfort) pitched a three-inning simulated game Tu

MIAMI -- This season may be the first time in 17 years that the New York Knicks can actually say they are better than the Miami Heat.New York, led by established standouts Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose and superstar-in-the making 7-3 center/forward/shooting guard Kristaps Porzingis, may be for real this time around.The old rivals -- more on that later -- will meet on Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena, and the Knicks (11-9) are in a virtual three-way tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They have won three in a row and eight of their past 11 and are just one game out of third place.Two games over .500 is nothing to get excited about for many NBA franchises, but it is nose-bleed country for the Knicks and their fans, who have had little to cheer about for nearly two decades.Put it this way, at no point in the past three-plus seasons have the Knicks been three games over .500, which is what they would achieve if they beat the Heat on Tuesday.New Yorks most recent win, 106-98 on Sunday night against the visiting Sacramento Kings, was not a thing of beauty. The Knicks built a 21-point lead before allowing a Kings 18-0 run.I dont think anybody on our team cares about stats -- the main objective is just to get wins, Knicks guard Brandon Jennings told the media when asked about the concept of winning ugly. But weve got to get better.While the Knicks are striving to provide a little more quality in their wins, the Heat arrive home with a 7-13 record that does not befit this proud franchise.They are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. And while its early, they have dug themselves a hole if they plan to make the top eight and the playoffs.On the bright side for Miami, the Heat is coming off a successful 2-1 road trip.Youd love to go 3-0, said Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who had 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks in the trips finale, a 99-92 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. But anytime you go positive on a road trip, thats motivation.Whiteside could have another big game against the Knicks, and here are two reasons why:First, Whiteside has big games against almost everybody lately, which is why he ranks first in the NBA in rebounds (14.9) and third in blocks (2.6). He is also averaging a team-best 17.8 points on 56.2 percent shooting from the floor.Second, New Yorks defense is not very good, especially against post players. Sacramentos DeMarcus Cousins had 36 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday, and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns had 47 points and 18 rebounds on Wednesday.Tuesdays game will be difficult to handicap since the Heat is just 2-7 at home and the Knicks are 2-6 on the road.Injuries are another factor, mostly for the Heat.For Miami, small forwards Luke Babbit (hip flexor) and Justise Winslow (wrist) and shooting guards Dion Waiters (groin) and Josh Richardson (ankle) are expected to sit out. All four have started games this season.The Knicks are missing just one player, starting shooting guard Courtney Lee, who has missed two straight games due to a sprained left ankle.Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek told the media Lee was feeling better but still not 100 percent, which was especially noticeable on lateral movements.Now about that Knicks-Heat rivalry ...The last time the Knicks beat the Heat in a playoffs series was in 2000.That was Patrick Ewings last season in New York, and the rivalry pretty much ended with his departure. The Knicks have been mostly miserable in the post-Ewing era, winning just one playoff series in all this time, beating the Boston Celtics in the first round in 2013.Of course, the Heat won their second straight NBA title that year, so forgive them if they barely noticed New York winning a first-round series.But for those who are too young to fully understand the Heat-Knicks rivalry ... or for those too old to remember how captivating and thrilling it was, here is a CliffsNotes version of what went down in four glorious series in four consecutive years:The bitterness between the organizations began when coach Pat Riley, upset that the Knicks would not let him have enough of a say in personnel decisions, bolted to Miami.And in 1997, with Riley coaching the Heat and Jeff Van Gundy leading New York, there was high drama. New York led the conference semifinals 3-1, but the Heat came back to win 4-3.There should be an asterisk next to that series win, however. Due to a brawl in Game 5, the Knicks suffered several key suspensions, causing two missed games by Charlie Ward and one each by Ewing, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson and John Starks. That crippled the Knicks chances.In 1998, the Knicks got even, winning 3-2 in a first-round series again spiced by a fight, this time between Johnson and Alonzo Mourning.In 1999, the Knicks again beat the Heat 3-2 in the first round, this time on Houstons winning shot that bounced off the rim and off the backboard before finally falling through the net with just 0.8 seconds left. The eighth-seeded Knicks crushed the dreams of top-seeded Miami that year.And in 2000, the Knicks beat the Heat 4-3 in a conference semifinal. Ewing dunked on Miami in the final seconds of what was a one-point New York win -- a fitting way to end that era of this incredible rivalry.Will Heat-Knicks ever be that good again?Probably not, but the Whiteside-Porzingis matchup should be a very good one for years to come. Maybe a heated playoff series, a fight or two. ... You never know. Nike Shoes Black Friday China .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. Nike Shoes Black Friday Discount .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. http://www.nikeshoesblackfriday.com/ . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. Fake Nike Shoes Black Friday . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Nike Shoes Black Friday Online . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . PITTSBURGH -- Gregory Polanco hit a tiebreaking three-run homer and Chad Kuhl pitched six innings for the win after being called up from the minor leagues as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Diego Padres 6-4 on Tuesday night.Polancos three-run blast deep into the seats in right-center off Luis Perdomo was his 16th homer and it put the Pirates ahead 5-2 and keyed a four-run sixth inning that included Francisco Cervellis RBI double.Kuhl (2-0) allowed two runs and five hits while striking out four and walking four. He made four starts with the Pirates earlier this season and was 6-3 with a 2.37 ERA in 16 starts for Indianapolis.David Freese had three hits and scored three runs and Josh Harrison added two hits for the Pirates, who improved to 4-6 in a 12-game stretch against teams who are at least 10 games under .500.Pittsburgh remained three games out of the second NL wild card.Tony Watson pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.Perdomo (5-6) was tagged for six runs -- five earned -- in five innings. The rookie walked three and struck out three as his ERA rose to 6.80.Jabari Blash had two hits and two RBI, including a solo home run off Watson in the ninth, for the Padres. Wil Myers hit his team-leading 22nd homer, a solo shot off Antonio Bastardo in the eighth inning, and Yangervis Solarte had two hits.Kuhl gave up both runs in the first inning when Alex Dickerson hit an RBI double and scored on Jabari Blashs single.The Pirates tied it 2-2 as Sean Rodriguez hit a run-scoring groundout in the second inning and he added an RBI single in the fourth.ddddddddddddTRAINERS ROOMPirates: Polanco returned to the starting lineup after being limited to pinch-hitting during the previous four games because of left shoulder discomfort. . Freese started after sitting out Sundays loss to Cincinnati with left elbow discomfort. . RHP Tyler Glasnow (right shoulder discomfort) pitched a three-inning simulated game Tuesday afternoon, the first time he faced hitters since going on the DL on July 24.ROSTER MOVEThe Pirates optioned RHP Curtis Partch to Indianapolis to make room for Kuhl. Partch allowed three runs in 2/3 of an inning in two games.ROTATION NEWSPadres manager Andy Green is considering giving LHP Clayton Richard a spot start Sunday against the Mets at New York as San Diego is in the midst of playing on 16 consecutive days. Richard pitched a scoreless inning Tuesday.WHATS NEXTPadres: RHP Edwin Jackson (2-2, 5.00 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday night in the second game of the three-game series after pitching a season-high eight innings to beat Milwaukee last Wednesday. He has a 9-3 career record against the Pirates.Pirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (1-1, 3.25) makes his second start since being out from May 24-Aug. 3 with facial fractures sustained when hit by a pitch. He held Atlanta to one run in six innings in a no-decision last Thursday. ' ' '