{blackbabes} Chris feels Rihanna 'Heat'

Rihanna and Chris Brown are "seeing a lot of each other in private," sources say, and Brown even joined her and her family to cheer on the Miami Heat over the weekend.

The two stars have partied at the same clubs twice in the past two weeks but kept a coy distance. But sources tell Page Six they're very close in private.

And in a sign that Brown has been forgiven for his infamous 2009 attack on Rihanna, he joined her family, including her grandfather Lionel Brathwaite and various cousins, at Jay-Z's 40/40 on Saturday to watch the Heat beat the Celtics.

A source told us, "Rihanna arrived first in a yellow cab, with her family and friends, and was escorted to a private room. Brown arrived a little later and joined her and her family. They sat on the same couch together rooting for the Heat. There was no sign of his girlfriend."

The pair then left separately — with Brown exiting first with his pals — while Rihanna and her family remained behind to watch the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley fight.

As we reported yesterday, Rihanna and Brown reunited later at Meatpacking club SL — where they kept a cool distance. They partied in separate booths but kept a close eye on each other. He sent over two bottles of Ace of Spades Champagne.

Meanwhile, sources say Rihanna's management is deeply divided on how to deal with the "Chris Brown issue." One source said, "Everyone in the business assumes she and Chris are getting back together, and it is only a matter of time before they'll be more public about it.

"It's like she is testing the water — first they work on music together, then they hang out in a friendly way, so the public won't be completely shocked when they step out together publicly.

"There is also a tug of war at Roc Nation over the final say on what she is doing. But everyone agrees they can't control Rihanna and can't stop her seeing Chris, no matter how much they fear the negative public reaction will be. It means she probably won't release another album this year, for fear of a backlash."