Everyone had the Knicks and Heat in their brackets, right? Surely few basketball observers expected both New York and Miami to handle the Cleveland Cavaliers and the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, respec
tively, in just five games apiece. Yet here these classic rivals from the ’90s are set to square off beginning at Madison Square Garden at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
The Knicks’ defense smothered Cleveland while Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart feasted on the offensive glass, particularly in New York’s series-clinching Game 5 victory. Miami’s defense has ranked one spot above the Knicks, good for third best in the entire postseason, setting the stage for what certainly appears to be a physical slugfest on paper.Miami's six-time All-Star centerpiece dominated Milwaukee to the tune of 37.6 points, 6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game on 59.
Quentin Grimes, one of New York’s premier perimeter defenders, has been battling a shoulder injury that left him sidelined for Game 5. Josh Hart, who started in Grimes’ place, as well as Knicks forward R.J. Barrett are strong options to throw at Butler. Reserve guard Immanuel Quickley has been New York’s most impactful pest on the defensive side of the floor, but the Sixth Man of the Year finalist will sacrifice quite a bit of size in a potential Butler assignment.
The Knicks still finished off Cleveland, of course, and were 6-4 in the team’s last 10 games without Randle. But losing 25.1 points and 4.1 assists per night is still a massive wrinkle over a seven-game series in which certain faucets for both teams run hot and cold.New York and Miami both finished the regular season as bottom-five teams in terms of pace. Put this matchup in a playoff environment and this series projects to be a slow grind replete with bumps and bruises in the paint.
Those types of games also set the stage for critical shotmaking in the fourth quarter, as limited possessions inherently increase the value of each final chance at hanging points on the board. Miami may have been the 8th seed, dropping a home contest and requiring two chances in the play-in tournament to advance to the playoffs, but the Heat led the NBA in clutch wins this season with 32.
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