With Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups joining Amar'e Stoudemire with the Knicks, the team should have a developing rivalry with the Miami Heat over the next few seasons.

“It is going to be battles for many years with Amar'e and Melo,” Dwyane Wade said. “They’re guys around the same age as we are. We’re not going anywhere, they’re not going anywhere. It is going to be some battles for a while. As competitors, I’m sure they look forward to it and we look forward to it with open arms. We look forward to this game and many more.”

“We felt the intensity [against Miami] before we brought in Carmelo,” Stoudemire said. “Now it is more magnified with Carmelo and Chauncey [Billups] joining us.”

“Regardless if it my third game or not, it should be a statement for us to want to beat this team,” Anthony said. “I think the East has become more powerful now and you’re going to see a lot more competitive games in the East.”

LeBron James believes it is premature to call it a rivalry.

“Rivalries don’t start until you have a playoff series or two,” James said. “But we’ll welcome it back. We’ll make it fun like it has been in the past.”