The Miami Heat became the second 8-seed ever to reach the NBA Finals when they got there this past season. The first? That would be the New York Knicks back in 1999.

ClutchPoints had a chance to sit down with former Knicks guard Charlie Ward at Vegas Summer League to talk about the team's run to the NBA Finals as an 8-seed in 1999, and Ward compared what their team did to what the Heat did in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

“I would have to say when we made it to the NBA Finals as an 8-seed, it was one of my favorite memories,” Charlie Ward said. “It was a great run for our group, it was a lockout year, but we had some new pieces. It took some time for us to be going together and have a good run. We had to win the last five games just to make the playoffs. Once we got in, we were able to make some noise, same as what the Miami Heat did this year.”

Ironically, Ward's Knicks beat the top-seeded Heat 3-2 in the best-of-five first-round series, then swept the Atlanta Hawks in four games in the second round before beating the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the NBA Finals. Those Spurs were dominant and lost only two games in their whole run to the championship.

Ward talked about the lack of pressure there is playing as an 8-seed.

“It was no pressure because you're an 8-seed, so no one's expecting you to move forward” Ward said. “You're gonna plan out and play at a certain level, hoping that you can make it to the next round. I think that's something we did, but we had talent, it just took us some time to get us all on the same page.”

Ward talked about Allan Houston's game-winner in Game 5 against the Heat, a floater that fell in with 0.8 seconds left, as well as Larry Johnson's infamous four-point play against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Lastly, Ward gave Allan Houston and Larry Johnson their flowers, praising the players on the roster for the role they played in one of the most memorable seasons in Knicks history.

Watch ClutchPoints' full Charlie Ward interview: