Knicks Escape With (Ugly) Win

Over the Knicks last five games, dating back to Game 3 vs. Cleveland, RJ Barrett is averaging 23.2 points (on 52.5% shooting), 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.2 made three-pointers.

Let's start here:

They don't call it a "must-win pretty" game.

They call it simply a "must-win" game.

The Knicks beat a Heat team playing without Jimmy Butler in Game 2 at MSG Tuesday night to even their second-round series 1-1. 

The win was ugly as sin. But a win is a win.

It's now down to a best of five. Knicks vs. the Heat. Sound familiar?

Let's get to the particulars from Tuesday's compelling contest. 

The Knicks were bad last season. However, after declining to go all-in on Donovan Mitchell, much of the same roster returned. Only three Knicks who played last night weren't on the team in 2021-22: Jalen Brunson, Isaiah Hartenstein and Josh Hart. And those three were the difference in the second half of Game 2, which happened to be the most important half of basketball the Knicks have played in a decade. 

Julius Randle and RJ Barrett absolutely carried New York in the first half, and we'll get to their invaluable contributions in a bit. However, Miami was up three at halftime and stretched their lead to six (93-87) with seven minutes remaining in regulation. 

That's when Hart and Brunson, playing in pain on an ankle that has clearly limited him, went to work. JB nailed a three-pointer (which turned into a four-point play due to a brilliant pin-in screen from Hartenstein) to cut the lead in half. After the iHart free-throw, Brunson hit a nine-foot fall-away jumper on New York's next possession to tie the game.  

Yet, after three Gabe Vincent free-throws, the Knicks were down three once again with less than five minutes left in the fourth.

The Heat entered this series with a clear strategy: Dare Josh Hart to take/make long jumpers. And through the first seven quarters, the plan worked. Over the first 84 minutes of the series, Hart was 7-of-19 (27%) from the floor and 0-of-5 from downtown.

Yet, with 4:45 remaining, Randle found Hart in the corner with the shot clock running down. Vincent made a half-hearted effort to close out, so Hart rose and fired. Bang. It was his first made three-pointer of the series. In fact, it was his first successful 3PT attempt since the first quarter of Game 4 vs. Cleveland ten days ago (he had missed seven consecutive three-balls). 

With four minutes left, Brunson drilled another triple to put New York up three. A minute later, he hit a floater in the paint to give the Knicks a five-point cushion. But Kyle Lowry scored on the other end, and then Bam Adebayo got loose for a layup to cut the lead to a single point with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. 

With the game on the line, the ball once again found Hart in the right corner. And once again, Hart drained an enormous three-pointer.

On the subsequent possession, Hart grabbed a defensive rebound, then grabbed an offensive board off his own miss before Randle muscled his way for a rebound, which led to two free throws. 

Miami made the Knicks sweat a bit in the closing moments, cutting the deficit to three with 22 seconds left. But Hart nailed a pair of free throws to ice the victory. 

All told, here were the total points scored over the final seven minutes of regulation: 
Brunson: 10
Hart:10 
The entire Heat team combined: 12

Hart ended up with 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, becoming the first Knick with at least 10/10/9 in a playoff game since Walt Frazier in 1972.

Despite making just one shot in the first half, Brunson finished with 30 points (10-for-19 FGs), five rebounds, two assists, two steals and six 3-pointers. With the Knicks season on the line, Brunson poured in 13 points in the third quarter and ten more in the final frame. 

Hartenstein’s numbers (five points, nine boards, one block, one steal) don't jump off the page like JB or Hart, but the Knicks don't win Game 2 without his hustle/heart, picks and work on the offensive glass. 

Hartenstein had a game-high seven screen assists on the night, leading to 17 Knicks points.

During a crucial stretch of the game - from the 7:30 mark to the 3:55 mark (when he checked out), iHart was everywhere:

7:30: Hartenstein 7-foot floater
6:42: Hartenstein screen assist for Brunson 3PT (draws foul on Bam)
6:42: Hartenstein made FT
6:08: Brunson makes a jumper over Duncan Robinson after iHart picks off Cody Martin
5:14: Hartenstein offensive rebound
4:54: Hartenstein offensive rebound
4:45: Hartenstein screen assist for Hart 3PT
4:07: Hartenstein screen assist for Brunson 3PT

That, my friends, is how you impact a basketball game. 

As noted above, the most important takeaway is the Knicks escaped with a win. However, that doesn't mean they should be pleased with their performance. 

First and foremost, New York's defensive game plan was flawed.