The New York Knicks fall to the Miami Heat 109-101 in Game 4. The Knicks made many mistakes while the Heat were disciplined.
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The New York Knicks are one game away from elimination after losing to the Miami Heat 101 to 109. The Knicks finally found some rhythm to their offense but couldn’t string together stops. New York scored 30 points in the first quarter and 33 in the third, only to be outscored in both quarters. The Knicks trailed most of the way, and Miami seemed to knock down a big bucket any time New York pushed within 5.
The salt in the wound of this loss is that Miami seemed to want it more. The Heat soundly outrebounded New York with a myriad of backbreaking offensive boards in the fourth quarter. The blue and orange struggled to steal momentum and failed to keep it while they had it. Nevertheless, there were opportunities to take this game, and the offense is heating up. Let’s salvage some hope from this tough loss.
Better offense but no defense from the Knicks’ starters
Jalen Brunson: 32 PTS (10/21 FG, 2/7 3PT, 10/11 FT), 11 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 44 mins
Jalen Brunson gave New York everything he could. His scoring ability kept things close, and his playmaking punished the Heat for cheating on defense. Brunson picked out mismatches and isolations, putting the Heat’s lesser defenders to work while feeding teammates with similar matchup advantages. His decision-making laid the groundwork for the Knicks’ best offensive game since their sole win of the series.
Yet every time the Knicks were on the verge of putting the Heat on their heels, it felt like Brunson came up just short. Much of that comes down to struggling from deep. New York’s point guard took a number of open looks from three that didn’t convert. I won’t belabor the one flaw in Brunson’s night, but it’s worth noting that Jalen’s gone from 41.6 percent from three in the regular season to 28.3 percent in the playoffs.
Despite the sour note on distance shooting, Brunson played a great game. His offensive play, with help from RJ Barrett, carried New York through tough stretches and kept the game within reach. The diminutive point guard is performing on a shoddy ankle and still looks like a star. Brunson gets a 4 out of 5 for his double-double.
Quentin Grimes: 9 PTS (3/8 FG, 3/7 3PT), 2 AST, 5 REB, 2 STL, 2 TO in 42 mins
Quentin Grimes put together an up-and-down performance. He seemed hesitant early, getting caught between shooting and stepping past closeouts. Those slowed-down decisions led to a turnover along the baseline and some less-than-stellar outcomes. But Grimes shot the ball more aggressively over time, and his jumper spaced the floor for teammates.
New York’s stopper played a strong game on defense with room to improve. He was consistently in Jimmy Butler’s grill, forcing Miami’s star to take contested shots or pass out. But Grimes got overzealous on occasion, bailing Butler out with foolish foulsIn addition, . Grimes didn’t have the strength to consistently keep Butler out of the paint, leading to some bunnies for the Heat’s leader.
I attribute New York’s better offensive rhythm to Grimes’ return to starting. He adds a spacing element that the iso-heavy starters need. But there’s another gear for the sophomore to find, one that saw him chase down loose balls and play incredible help defense during the regular season. That lack of extra effort may result from his shoulder injury, but in any case, Grimes gets a 2.5 for an okay performance.
RJ Barrett: 24 PTS (9/16 FG, 3/5 3PT, 3/3 FT), 3 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 3 TO in 34 mins
RJ Barrett is arguably the only Knick to consistently elevate his game from regular to postseason. Barrett’s scoring roughly the same from season to playoffs while taking fewer attempts, and his assists per game have increased slightly dedespite New York’s shooting woes. This game continued the trend, with Barrett providing a second option to the offense with fantastic efficiency.
RJ’s defense is also markedly better than it was in the regular season. But he can still be better, particularly on the defensive glass. He’s grabbing enough rebounds to cover for his position, but the Heat wings have shown the difference extra effort can make for loose balls.
If there’s a bright side to this series so far, it’s that RJ Barrett may have taken the leap we were waiting for all season. His decision-making is better than we’ve ever seen, despite some hiccups. This version of RJ raises the entire team’s ceiling and earns a 3.5 out of 5 for the night.
Julius Randle: 20 PTS (8/13 FG, 1/4 3PT, 3/5 FT), 3 AST, 9 REB, 6 TO in 39 mins
Julius Randle scored efficiently, but that shouldn’t mask his disappointing performance. Randle shot the ball poorly but didn’t settle for jumpers. He attacked the lanes, which produced some highlights, but also threw him into traffic. Randle picked up twice as many turnovers as assists thanks to reckless forays into crowded space.
Randle’s playing on a bad ankle, but it’s hard to excuse his defensive effort. His rotations have been slow all series long. It shows whenever Mitchell Robinson has to chase a player away from the rim or during extended passing sequences where Miami moves the rock until an open shooter manifests. Randle’s late to react, often watching players shoot or drive instead of sliding into a position to challenge.
I’d accept the ankle excuse more willingly if Randle weren’t posterizing defenders on the other side of the floor. In this series, Randle has been the poster child for New York being outworked by Miami. Even his 9 rebounds hide a series of missed boxouts and poor positioning. The big man gets a 1.5 out of 5 for at least keeping his scoring effective.
Mitchell Robinson: 6 PTS (3/5 FG, 0/2 FT), 1 AST, 7 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 2 TO in 32 mins
Mitchell Robinson is having a rough series offensively. Miami isn’t giving him free looks at the rim, opting to foul him whenever he has the ball insideAs a result, . Mitch is shooting a woeful 25 percent from the free throw line in the series. Even worse, Robinson’s hands have sometimes betrayed him, leading to both turnovers in this game.
To Robinson’s credit, I blame the help defense for Bam Adebayo’s scoring outburst. Mitch put together 3 Stocks, including a pair of emphatic blocks on Adebayo. When the Blockness monster had the luxury of staying near the rim, he protected it. But the Heat often attacked the lane only to make an extra pass or two, drawing Mitch in and then beating whoever was supposed to cover for him.
Can Mitch be better? Absolutely. But he’s far from New York’s biggest problem. The big man might have more opportunity to attack if the Knicks could hit shots to improve spacing. That hasn’t happened so far, exacerbating some of the rim runner’s flaws. Mitch gets a 2 out of 5 for a forgettable night.
New York’s second unit fails to inspire faith
Josh Hart: 4 PTS (2/6 FG, 0/2 3PT, 0/1 FT), 2 REB, 2 TO in 22 mins
Josh Hart played his weakest game of the series right when New York needed him most. He returned to a bench unit that lost Immanuel Quickley and desperately needed a leader. Hart failed to provide that, with 0 assists and more field goal attempts than points scored.
A significant contributor to Hart’s struggles was foul trouble. He ran into foul trouble that limited his minutes and cut into his opportunities to make effort plays he’s known for. Hart’s limited time may also explain the Knicks being out-hustled so clearly. Some calls against the Villanova vet were dubious. Regardless he didn’t seem as effective defending Kyle Lowry as I’d hoped.
Hart has been the pulse of this team. But he couldn’t stay on the floor long enough to give that energy boost New York needed. I’ll let that explain his rhythmless look in this action and hope for a better showing next time. Hart gets a 1 out of 5 for low production on poor efficiency.
Miles McBride: 0 PTS (0/2 FG, 0/1 3PT), 1 AST in 4 mins
Miles McBride picked up spot minutes, but not enough to make any difference. For what it’s worth, I’d have liked to see him play more in case it could inject the team defense with some life.
Obi Toppin: 4 PTS (2/4 FG, 0/2 3PT), 1 REB in 6 mins
Obi Toppin wasn’t bad in his 6 minutes, but how much can someone accomplish in just 6 minutes? I find Toppin’s low workload particularly egregious because Julius Randle had a bad game that negatively impacted the team’s defense. Obi might not have changed the trajectory of this game, but that’s impossible to say, given his limited opportunities.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 2 PTS (0/1 FG, 2/2 FT), 3 REB, 2 BLK in 15 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein played solid defense until it came time to grab boards. It felt like the Heat became particularly aggressive on the offensive glass when I-Hart was out there. That explains Mitchell Robinson’s larger workload despite Hartenstein’s respectable numbers.
I won’t linger much on I-Hart’s night because there wasn’t much notable. He looked solid, particularly in rim protection. But his night is worth a 2 out of 5 for a limited impact in his few minutes.
Tom Thibodeau continues to be outcoached
Tom Thibodeau doesn’t have many answers for the Heat. He tried some more doubles and trapping on Jimmy Butler, but that just led to Butler’s best playmaking of the series. Thibs hasn’t figured out how to contain the Heat’s role players, who continually see open looks from three and convert those opportunities. Eric Spoelstra is always a step ahead.
Thibodeau’s offense is showing its warts as well. Miami is mixing in plenty of zone defense, but the Knicks have struggled to create good looks and haven’t made shots, regardless. This offense relies on simple actions and lacks the creativity to get guys going. That puts pressure on players to create for themselves, which can be difficult against a quality defense like Miami.
I don’t want this to sound like everything is Thibodeau’s fault. He can’t shoot for his players, and he’s dealt with four sprained ankles and two shoulder injuries to players on his roster in just nine playoff games. But the gap between Spoelstra and Thibodeau feels clear, so Thibs gets a 1.5 out of 5 for the loss.
Closing Thoughts
I like to look at the optimistic side of things with these closing thoughts, but this loss was frustrating. New York’s top two regular season scorers are literally limping through the series, while its best two bench players also hurt their ankles. Its best shooter has a shoulder issue; its most mobile center had shoulder surgery last series. The Knicks’ vaunted depth is a weakness as Miami’s collective of undrafted players and older role players beat out New York’s youth.
Murphy’s law struck the Knicks right when everything outside aligned perfectly for a nice run. The Milawukee Bucks were eliminated, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are beating each other up, and New York had a home-court advantage against the Heat. None of it matters anymore. The Knicks are injured, look lost, and must play perfect ball for the next three games to survive. That feels impossible, given the circumstances and the opponent.
But there’s a silver lining; the Knicks are coming home. They found an offensive rhythm, and maybe the Garden can snap them into defensive shapeMoreover, a A win at home means they get one more chance to steal a game in Miami. Stranger things have happened in the playoffs than a team coming back from down 3-1, especially with two of the last three at home.
I’ll be watching and hoping that the season continues past Wednesday. If you’ve read this far, I’m sure you’ll be watching tooSo let’s’s root for the Knicks to win and have a chance at a miraculous comeback in this series.
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