BOCA RATON – So were the Knicks angered about the way the Heat celebrated Tim Hardaway’s miracle 3-pointer last month that won the final regular season meeting between the two teams and Pat Riley’s theory that perhaps Miami exorcised some Knick demons? If they were, tough, said Riley.

“It was a frenetic game, it was a sold-out house, it was Knicks-Heat, it was national television and it was a pretty dramatic shot. I don’t care if you’re playing for tiddly winks, it was a pretty dramatic shot that excited our home crowd,” Riley stressed. “I could imagine Madison Square Garden. I can guarantee you Spike Lee would have jumped on Chris Childs’ head. I think they would have reacted the same way. ‘Purging,’ I used that word that night. Well, sometimes it’s like you need an enema, a one-day enema. The Knicks obviously took offense. We remember the celebration [after Allan Houston’s Game 5 winner]. Well, whatever.”