as martin pointed out in the playoff thread, a heat win likely helps the knicks -- guys like CP3 and howard are going to think they need to join one of these dream teams to have a shot.
i am pulling for the mavs though, and i don't think it's out of the question. dirk is a tough matchup regardless of who's on him, they have the bigs to control the glass (chandler, haywood), and the bodies to throw at LBJ and wade (marion, stevenson, brewer). plus they get great play out of their guards. should be an awesome series.