New York Knicks 96-98 Miami Heat: Twitter explodes as Derrick Rose returns to Big Apple squad

Derrick Rose's debut in his second stint with the New York Knicks was ruined when the Miami Heat secured a 98-96 win over his side on Tuesday.

The game was reminiscent of the bruising New York Knicks-Miami Heat battles from the late 1990s which usually ended with low scores.

The night before, Derrick Rose spent time with the New York Knicks rookies and made sure he was available to them. This was a great gesture from the former MVP.

After speculation that he might not be ready to play for the franchise yet, he suited up for New York on Tuesday.

One Twitter user wanted everyone to believe that the Knicks are now better than the Brooklyn Nets.

Derrick Rose ran the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat featured Kelly Olynyk

Derrick Rose ran the show in the first half as he looked like the Chicago Bulls version of himself, only smarter and more in control.

Rose's trade appears to have paid off handsomely, especially if this is just a preview of what's to come for the New York Knicks.

A Twitter user felt that it was an underrated trade. Another believes the Knicks got him for a bargain.

Meanwhile, Miami Heat forward/center Kelly Olynyk was scorching from the outside, torching his opponents and keeping the game close.

The New York Knicks and Miami Heat were playing almost even at halftime

No quarters were given, and almost no shots were uncontested. This was a game that 90s former Miami Heat coach Pat Riley and former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy would be proud of.

Tyler Herro made a basket with 30.1 seconds remaining to break a 55-all tie. Little did anyone know that this play was a portent of things to come.

Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat is defended by RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at American Airlines Arena on February 09, 2021 (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Knicks went on a 33-10 run to take the lead before the Heat came storming back with their own run, an 11-0 salvo that kept New York from breaking away for good.

In the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 94, Tyler Herro put on his superhero suit and drained this clutch 3-pointer with 1:04 to go in the game, giving the Miami Heat a 3-point lead, 97-94.

In the dying seconds of the game, Jimmy Butler was fouled and sent to the floor. Jimmy may have taken some acting lessons while he was out with the COVID-19 protocols and you can actually see him looking a bit suspicious here. No wonder New York fans are incensed!

After the close win by the Miami Heat, there were more than a few referee bashers on Twitter, blaming the refs for the free-throw disparity that cost the New York Knicks the game.

There are lots of reasons for the huge difference in free-throw attempts but you be the judge as to what happened in Miami tonight.

This shot of Jimmy Butler is definitely going to be a meme in the coming days! Twitter can't seem to get enough of the Miami Heat star looking around after the referees called a foul.

Butler had a near-triple-double, with 26 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds to power the Miami Heat to the win.

On the New York Knicks side, Twitter was gushing over Derrick Rose's return. He had 14 points and three assists in 20 minutes of action. There was a certain spark to the Knicks offense when he was on the floor, and many noticed it.

Someone even thought his performance was better than his entire first season with the team! Meanwhile, others were looking for trades to free up more minutes for Rose and give the other guards a chance to shine elsewhere.

Overall, everyone loved Derrick Rose's first game back with the New York Knicks.

The New York Knicks and Miami Heat certainly gave us some great things to tweet about today.

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