This is not to minimize the ghosts of the Miami Heat, those menacing representations of Jimmy Butler prowling the paint in search of a play to finally break the Knicks back and Erik Spoelstra standing there with his arms crossed.

Despite treating the regular season like a lengthy vacation on one of Micky Arison’s Carnival Cruises, the Heat remain extremely strong following their yearly winter snooze. Spoelstra, Butler, and Bam Adebayo outperformed any trio in the preceding four years after the pollen blanketed the Northeast.

It’s not the same Heat, though. Not for the better, the roster has undergone a significant alteration (I’ll discuss this later).

By the way, Butler is 34 years old and exhibiting signs of aging.

As absurd as it may sound given that the Knicks were eliminated at South Beach the previous season, the Heat should be the team they clearly support for in Wednesday’s play-in game between Miami and Philadelphia, with the victor facing the Knicks in the first round.

Joel Embiid is the primary cause, which is so evident that typing it feels awkward. Before having knee surgery, the MVP winner was enjoying his best season, and he came back to help the Sixers get back into the race for the title. When Embiid is wearing a uniform, Philly—which is home to the Heat—becomes a totally different club and becomes a legitimate threat in the East.

In the play-in game, the Knicks ought to be supporting Jimmy Butler and the Heat.Getty Photographs

This season’s record with Embiid? 31–8.

Without? 16–27.

That is how the draft lottery and the second seed differ from each other.

An experienced NBA executive remarked, “[The Knicks] have no answer for Joel.”

OG Anunoby is arguably too small to consistently bang with Embiid after being acquired as a catch-all to the Knicks’ defensive issues. The 6-2, 200-pound Tyrese Maxey is too big for the 6-foot-7, 220-pound Anunoby to pursue for more than thirty minutes..

For the Knicks, Joel Embiid is a bad matchup.Getty Photographs

Anunoby has the option to guard those players off-screen, but Isaiah Hartenstein will probably be given the primary Embiid assignment, with Donte DiVincenzo assigned to the Maxey role.

Three NBA insiders, including a coach and scout, were surveyed by The Post, and they all said that the Heat was the Knicks’ ideal opponent. While neither opponent is perfect, the Sixers are not as bad.

To be clear, the Knicks will still be the favorites versus Philly since they have home-court advantage and are on a five-game winning streak. In spite of the fact that a healthy Embiid is never guaranteed, I would take the Knicks in six or seven. Simply enough, I wouldn’t stake my rookie card on it like Ken Griffey Jr.

The best coach in the NBA is Spoelstra. He makes wedding cakes out of margarine (sorry, Tyler Johnson and Hassan Whiteside, margarines.))

The NBA Playoffs Standings.But Nick Nurse, the coach of the 76ers, is no wimp. In actuality, Tom Thibodeau, Spoelstra, and Nurse would be my top three picks as Eastern Conference coaches. Changing Doc Rivers for Nurse in Philadelphia was one of the better offseason additions, despite it being frequently overlooked.

Although personnel is a problem, the Heat have never had coaching issues. When it counts, they are unable to score. After missing the playoffs the previous season, Tyler Herro was expected to be a major asset to the offense, but he has struggled in crunch time, shooting only 37 percent in the fourth quarter. Not surprisingly, the Heat have the lowest net rating in the Eastern Conference during the fourth quarter. They have been silent.

Can they change things around in the postseason? Yes. Miami has already done it. “We’ll find out in the playoffs,” Spoelstra stated on Sunday.”

Last season, the Heat defeated the Knicks in the playoffs.New York Post/Charles Wenzelberg

However, the Heat are not as good now that Herro, Terry Rozier (who will miss Wednesday’s game due to a neck injury), and Jaime Jaquez Jr. have virtually replaced Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, and Kyle Lowry.

They dominated the bench minutes last year, which was one of the reasons they defeated the Knicks in the playoffs. That benefit is no longer available. Jalen Brunson, who averaged 31 points per game in the Eastern Conference semifinals, was too much for the Heat to handle even back then.

The Sixers? Despite Brunson’s 3 losses to them this season, they managed to keep him to 22.2 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting. Kelly Oubre caused trouble.

Comparable to the Knicks, the Sixers have improved from a year ago. The majority of that is related to Embiid, who missed Sunday’s season finale due to surgery on his surgically repaired knee. The 30-year-old participated fully in practice on Monday, so it’s unlikely that he will miss Wednesday’s match..

OG Anunoby is the defensive stopper for the Knicks.AP

The Knicks could try to wear him out in a blowout victory at Wells Fargo Center in January, the only time Embiid faced the team this season, if they have to play Embiid in the first round. However, Thibodeau may find it difficult to handle the half-court game, which is more common in the playoffs when the pace slows.

Because rim defense is high on the Thibs’ Commandments, the Knicks favor a drop coverage, which Embiid’s propensity to make outside shots drives centers away from the basket. When using all of his muscle and power, Embiid crushes that shape with his shots..