By MARC BERMAN

MIAMI – Isiah Thomas used this phrase during his reign. It’s called “knowhow.”

And Isiah used to talk about teams like the Spurs,who have “knowhow”. and that’s why they won every year. The Knicks don’t have “knowhow”, haven’t had it in many years.

“Knowhow” is when you elbow a superstar in the mouth and cause him to bleed, at some point you ask if he’s OK and tell him you didn’t mean it. Especially when you are a rookie. “Knowhow” is when you still are comfortably ahead, you don’t antagonize and go up to a 7-footer and start jabbering. Especially when you’re 5-7 1/2. “Knowhow” is sinking your two free throws late to tie the game instead of missing one, as a certain restricted free agent did again. .

Tonight’s 120-115 loss in Miami in which the Knicks blew a 16-point fourth quarter lead, with Dwyane Wade going bonkers in the fourth quarter after getting elbowed in the mouth by rookie Danilo Gallinari is just another chapter to a franchise buried in a losing culture.

Mike D’Antoni is trying to change that losing culture. But it’s going to take more than one season. In my eyes, their playoff push ended tonight. You can ‘t lose a game like this, when you dominate for three quarters and play some of your best ball of the season. You just don’t.

“Especially against teams like the Knicks, you know you’re going to get your opportunities,” Wade said tonight in a subtle dig at the losing ways of this franchise.

At 11 games below .500, the Knicks have just as good a chance of sinking out of the race as staying in it. But at least David Lee got his double-double.