Knicks again outworked by Heat in Game 4 loss, trail series 3-1
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks looks for a way to the basket against the Heat during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Kaseya Center on Monday in Miami, Fla. Credit: Getty Images/Eric Espada
MIAMI — The Knicks appeared tentative, nervous and overwhelmed — not the approach they needed to take against the Miami Heat in Game 4 — until Quentin Grimes got the ball on the wing and blew by Max Strus. Seeing a path to the rim, he rose, cocking the ball back behind his head and readying for a slam dunk that seemed to finally be a show of strength.
But Jimmy Butler, a game-time decision with a sprained right ankle, sized him up and leaped, rising and meeting Grimes at the top of his jump and smothering the shot backward. The crowd at Kaseya Center exploded. Even the Heat players seemed buoyed by the denial.
It felt like a symbol of all that has gone wrong for the Knicks in this series.
You can argue the talent on either team, debate the experienced head coaches. But there is little question that the Heat have been the aggressor, a team playing with a fire that the Knicks could not match as they fell, 109-101, on Monday night.
The Knicks are in a 3-1 series hole as they head home for Wednesday night’s Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.
It was another too-little, too-late effort. The Knicks fell behind by as many as 11 points and seemed to float in that range for much of the night, occasionally making a run but seeing opportunities disappear. The Heat were a step quicker and more aggressive to loose balls and hit the big shots the Knicks never could.
“Just maybe they want it more,” Julius Randle said. “I don’t know. That’s been who we are all year. Got to find a way to step up and make those plays, keep this season alive.”
Whether it was a stinging indictment or a challenge to the team — and himself — Randle’s point wasn’t wrong. The Knicks were outrebounded, outhustled and, in the end, beaten.
Jalen Brunson, playing with five fouls for much of the fourth quarter, led the Knicks with 32 points and 11 assists. RJ Barrett added 24 points. Randle had 20 points and nine rebounds but was frustrated most of the night. He fouled out when he was called for an offensive foul with 3:08 remaining.
The Knicks got no help from anyone else. Grimes, inserted in the starting lineup, had nine points and too many sloppy passes. Josh Hart fouled out late. The Knicks’ big men were outplayed by Bam Adebayo and watched as countless players outhustled them. And Butler, serenaded all night with MVP chants, was everywhere, finishing with 27 points and 10 assists.
“They got to offensive rebounds, to loose balls,” Barrett said. “They have some tough guys that they get respect. Give them credit, they work hard, got guys falling every possession, getting calls. They’re getting rebounds. So they’re playing hard. I think we’re playing hard as well. I think we fought. Especially in the fourth, those rebounds hurt us.”
“You hear all the time about the Heat culture, about being more physically stronger, being more conditioned,” Brunson said after the Knicks’ morning shootaround Monday. “That’s like their mantra. You’ve heard about it for years.”
The Knicks also acknowledged something more troubling than the 105-86 loss in Game 3 — that they had not matched the effort and intensity of the Heat. Brunson said that for the Knicks, it is a work in progress — a team together really for the first season as a group and one that has little playoff pedigree.
Talking about it is one thing, and Tom Thibodeau certainly has stressed it, but until a team feels the punch hit, it cannot appreciate just what it is facing.
“I think there is a Knicks culture,” Brunson said. “The experience we need we’re getting. Can’t get experience without experiencing it, obviously. We’ve got to continue to grow together, fight through adversity together. We’ve got to continue to fight and stick together.”
The Knicks trailed 67-62 when Kevin Love launched a three-pointer that missed, but as Brunson raced out to challenge, he made contact with Love’s hand. It immediately was called a three-shot foul, but the Knicks challenged and the replay review changed it to contact after the shot and a jump ball, which the Knicks won. Barrett sank a three-pointer to make it a two-point game.
They just could not get over the hump. After going up 30-29, they never led again.
What has to change to keep the season alive?
“Everything,” Brunson said. “Long story short. We need to be better. I need to be better.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
