Getting Ready for Game 3

Six key questions that could decide the contest's outcome:

How many of you are jonesing for a playoff game right now? 

It's been three days since the Knicks evened the series at 1-1 on Tuesday, but the good news is we are less than 24 hours away from Game 3 tipping off down in South Beach.

Game 3 Date: Saturday, May 6
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV channel: ABC (Dave Pasch and Hubie Brown on the call)
Odds: Heat -3; O/U 208.5

Here are six key questions that could decide the contest's outcome:

1. Will Playoff Jimmy Make His Return?

It seems highly likely that Butler (right ankle sprain) will suit up on Saturday. It's been nearly a week since he sprained his ankle, and his trainer posted clips to Instagram of spry-looking Jimmy getting up shots on Thursday night. After Friday's practice, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra indicated that Butler plans to play. Miami will likely call it a game-time decision, but knowing Butler's competitive nature, at this point, it would be shocking if he was ruled out. 

The better question may be, "What version of Butler will we see." Will he be at 60% of peak playoff Jimmy? Closer to 80%? One thing is for sure; the Knicks should attack him early and often on Saturday. He was clearly being used solely as a dummy down the stretch in Game 1, but New York let him hide out in the corner. If Butler starts the game guarding Jalen Brunson, the Knicks should ISO Brunson at the top of the key and let him boogie. Make Butler move laterally to stay in front of NY's jitterbug PG. 

2. How is Brunson feeling? 

After missing Game 1 due to a sprained left ankle, Julius Randle made a triumphant return Tuesday night, tallying 25 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and three 3-pointers. Fortunately for New York, he looked sharp physically and didn't suffer any setbacks in the contest.

Unfortunately for New York, we learned earlier this week that Brunson is dealing with ankle soreness. He looked like a shell of himself in the first half of Game 2, missing six of his seven FG attempts. However, Brunson did bounce back in the second half, scoring 13 points in the third and ten more in the fourth. Brunson was limited in practice on Thursday, but Tom Thibodeau says JB did "much more" in Friday's session. When Zach Braziller of the NY Post asked, "Would you say you're 75 percent now?" Brunson replied, "I would say I'm ready to go." 

Something to keep in mind regarding Brunson, Randle and Butler, after the long layoff between Games 2 and 3, these two teams will play three games in five days starting Saturday (Game 4 is Monday, and Game 5 is Wednesday). Thus, any aggravation of an injury could prove costly.

3. Can the Knicks Hide Brunson Defensively