Heroes Abound in Huge Win over the Heat

"Another capacity crowd at the world's most famous arena giving kudos to their heroes. IQ, another prolific night. Hart's ubiquity astounds. Barrett timely hooping… The Knicks' defense was superb, getting into transition. Heroes abound for the Knicks tonight." - Walt "Clyde" Frazier on the MSG broadcast in the closing moments of New York's victory Wednesday night.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was tied at 76, which meant the most important game of the season for both the Knicks and the Heat would be decided over the final 12 minutes.

Unfortunately for New York, Julius Randle was already ruled out of the contest after suffering a nasty ankle sprain in the first half (more on that in a bit). And Jalen Brunson, who returned to action after missing multiple games with a sprained right hand, was showing plenty of rust and was far from 100%.

So, how would the Knicks respond, in this, the most crucial single quarter the team had played in recent memory? How would head coach Tom Thibodeau divvy up the minutes in the final frame?

Well, the five players that began the fourth quarter for New York ended up playing so well that Thibs let them close out the contest. Yes, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, Isaiah Hartenstein, RJ Barrett and Josh Hart remained on the floor for the entire quarter. That unit outscored Miami by 11 points in the fourth, powering the Knicks to a 101-92 victory. And, in the process, snuffed out any realistic hope the Heat had of passing the Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings this season.

The win gave New York a four-game lead over seventh-place Miami, and because the Knicks won the season series 3-1, they also possess the tie-breaker over the Heat.

Because New York leads the Nets by 2.5 games, the Knicks are on track to capture the coveted fifth seed in the East.

As we've talked about time and again in this newsletter, one of the many reasons this season has been so special is due to the contributions the Knicks have received from players up and down the roster. That was most certainly the case Wednesday night at MSG.

Incredibly, the five-man combination of Hartenstein, Hart, Barrett, Grimes, and Quickley hadn't played a single second altogether until they set foot on the floor to begin the fourth. Over those final 12 minutes, they'd collectively put an exclamation point on a remarkable win in a remarkable season.

Let's give each of these men some flowers…

Immanuel Quickley, the 25th overall pick in the 2020 draft, had plenty of encouraging moments over his first two years in the league but took his game to another level this season. Wednesday night at MSG, IQ tallied 24 points (on 8-of-14 shooting), four assists (vs. just one turnover) and three steals. He was a game-high +14 in his 31 minutes of action. It was the third straight game the Knicks have played in which IQ was the best basketball player on the court. Over these past three contests, Quickley is averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 dimes, 2.0 thefts and 3.0 made three-pointers while shooting over 59% from the field and 47% from downtown. In the process, he's locked up the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award—just an incredible season for the youngster out of Kentucky.

Quentin Grimes, the 25th overall pick in the 2021 draft, remained red-hot on Wednesday, racking up 23 points (8-of-14 FGs), eight rebounds, four assists, and five 3-pointers. Grimes has had some ups and downs this season but has firmly established himself as a quality starting shooting guard in the NBA. Over the NY's past four games, he is averaging 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 5.0 treys, while shooting 53.6% from the floor and 51.3% from behind the arc.