Knicks Drop Game 1 to Miami as Heat Draw First Blood

The Heat let it be known in Game 1 that they plan to pack the paint and force New York to beat them from the perimeter...

In the three years since Tom Thibodeau was hired as the team's head coach, New York has played 246 regular season games and ten more in the playoffs. Heading into Sunday, not once in any of those 256 contests had the Knicks make fewer than eight three-pointers and 12 or fewer free throws in the same game.

The last time New York posted such paltry numbers was during the 2019-20 campaign. 

That is, until Sunday afternoon in the series opener vs. Miami, when New York shot just 7-of-34 from downtown (20.6%) and 12-of-20 from the charity stripe (60%).

We'll get into the details and plot twists from Game 1, but sometimes the NBA is a make-or-miss league. The Knicks couldn't make anything in Game 1. And it's not like Miami's played suffocating defense on the perimeter. According to NBA.com Second Spectrum data, New York was just 4-of-16 on "wide-open" three-point attempts (no defender within six feet). And they were just 2-of-15 on "open" three-pointers (closest defender 4-6 feet away). So it's not as though the game plan was flawed; it was the execution (or lack thereof).

Jalen Brunson has been incredibly consistent and efficient all year long but was 11-of-23 from the floor vs. Miami, including 0-of-7 from three-point territory. He also committed five turnovers. "I was horrific," Brunson said after the game. "Very uncharacteristic by me, and this one's on me. I've got to be better."

While it was nice to see Brunson shoulder the blame himself, he wasn't alone.

Obi Toppin knocked down four three-pointers (he was the only Knick to make more than one trey), but he missed seven of his 11 attempts from behind the arc. Josh Hart was surprisingly inefficient, shooting 5-of-12 from the field and 0-of-4 from deep. Immanuel Quickley's postseason struggles continued on Sunday, as IQ went 3-of-9 and dished out only one assist. Mitch Robinson had three dunks but was 1-of-4 from the FT line. RJ Barrett was fantastic in Game 1 (more on that in a bit), but he was 1-of-5 from downtown and 5-of-8 from the stripe. 

Sum it all up, and it's not difficult to figure out why New York fell to the Heat, 108-101.

Despite their offensive ineptitude, New York's defense was solid in Game 1, holding the Heat to 42.4% shooting. 

Jimmy Butler came into the contest on fire, averaging 37.6 points on 59.7% shooting in Miami's first-round waxing of the Bucks. The Knicks "limited" Playoff Jimmy to 25 points (8-of-16 FGs, 9-11 FTs), and Bam Adebayo failed to reach his average, finishing with 16 points. 

However, by focusing on collapsing the defense to contain Butler, the Knicks let the Heat PG duo of Gabe Vincent and Kyle Lowry get far too many easy looks. Vincent finished with 20 points, five assists, and five 3-pointers.  

Even more frustrating, Lowry tallied 18 points (5-of-12 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), five rebounds, six assists, one steal, four blocks, and three 3-pointers in 30 minutes of action. It was just the second time since late January that he logged more than 27 minutes in a game.

Lowry was critical for Miami, helping settle the game for them in the first half and then pushing the Heat past the finish line down the stretch. He played the entire fourth quarter and scored a game-high nine points in the final frame. (Not a good sign for NY that Miami's Villanova alum outscored the Knicks' Nova Bros combined in the fourth.)

One advantage the Knicks had vs. Cleveland in Round One was poise and presence. The Cavs were clearly rattled by the raucous MSG crowd and the Knicks' physicality. That will not be the case in this series, as the Heat are a team full of gritty competitors and grizzled veterans.

Remember, Miami came back from down 15 to beat the Bucks in Game 4 and then erased a 16-point deficit in Game 5 to close out Milwaukee. So, it wasn't shocking to see they were unfazed when they fell behind by 12 in the second quarter on Sunday. 

Still, after plenty of up-and-downs over the first 40+ minutes, the game was up for grabs late in the contest. It was a one-possession game (95-92) with five minutes remaining in regulation when Jimmy Butler turned his ankle. Butler was writhing on the court in pain but was able to stay in the game. 

The Knicks failed to attack a hobbled Butler, and Miami locked down New York defensively to seal the victory. 

Looking ahead toward Game 2, the focus will be on Butler's sprained right ankle and Julius Randle's sprained left ankle. 

Randle, who re-injured his ankle in Game 5 against Cleveland after missing the final five games of the regular season, was listed as questionable as of Sunday morning but was ruled out shortly before tip-off. The good news is that he was able to practice a bit late in the week and get up some shots pre-game.

Butler's ankle had reportedly swelled up to the size of a baseball by the time he met with reporters after Game 1.  

The odd scheduling of the series may factor into who takes the floor and when. There is just one day off between Game 1 and Game 2, which will tip off Tuesday night. However, Game 3 won't take place until Saturday afternoon. 

Considering Miami stole the opener on the road, they may be content to rest Butler in Game 2, thereby giving him five full days to rest and rehab. 

The Knicks, on the other hand, have been forced into a must-win situation. As a result, they don't have the same luxury. Consequently, I assume Randle will suit up if he's anywhere close to game-ready. 

About Last Night (Yesterday Afternoon) 

🏀 The Heat started out with Butler guarding Brunson, which enabled Barrett to bust loose. RJ was masterful in the first quarter, scoring 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting while also grabbing three boards and dishing out three assists. He made the right play nearly every time he had the ball in his hands. Barrett needs to make his FTs, and he committed two costly turnovers late in the fourth quarter, but looking at the big picture, RJ has played very, very well in four straight high-pressure playoff games.  

🏀 After missing the final two games against Cleveland due to a right shoulder contusion, Quentin Grimes returned to action on Sunday. He made his first shot but logged just ten minutes in the contest. The Knicks clearly need three-point shooters on the floor vs. Miami, as the Heat let it be known in Game 1 that they plan to pack the paint and force New York to beat them from the perimeter. It's a sound strategy, considering the Knicks shot 35.4% (below league average) during the regular season and are shooting a dreadful 26.8% from downtown in the playoffs (no other team is south of 30%). Grimes was second on the team in three-point accuracy (38.6%) this season, so it likely behooves NY to increase his playing time (and shot attempts) going forward. 

🏀 One of the primary reasons New York's shooting numbers are subpar this postseason has been the surprisingly inefficient production from Quickley. He's converted just 34% of his FG attempts and 28% of his triple tries through six games this postseason. It didn't harm NY in the first round, but IQ must make shots in this series. 

🏀 Similarly, although it didn't cost them a game vs. Cleveland, we cautioned that the Knicks' poor free-throw shooting would likely come back to bite them in the butt at some point. Welp, we saw it Sunday. New York is one of four teams shooting below 75% from the charity stripe this postseason, and the other three (Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Cleveland) have all been eliminated.