Knicks need to be much better if they want to keep their season alive vs. Heat
Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, left, fights for control of the ball as Heat guard Kyle Lowry defends during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday in Miami. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky
MIAMI — Julius Randle sat alone at the podium in an uncrowded interview room, and still the words echoed far beyond the few recorders and cameras chronicling it.
“Just maybe they want it more,” he said, trying to find a way to explain the Knicks being pushed to the brink by the Miami Heat, adding, “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.”
The Knicks find themselves backed up against a wall, searching — as Randle did for an explanation or an answer. After being swept in convincing fashion in two games in Miami, they return home to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday night trailing 3-1 and trying to figure out how to keep the season going.
They complained about the officiating, offered faint praise to the Heat and tried to minimize what had happened Monday night, but when asked what had to change only Jalen Brunson seemed to understand.
“Everything,” he said. “Long story short. We need to be better. I need to be better.”
But can they be? It’s no accident that the Knicks are in this hole. The Heat have crowded into the paint on defense, taking away the drives of Randle, Brunson and RJ Barrett and daring others to shoot while taking away the Knicks' offensive rebounding. The Knicks shot just 32% (9-for-28) from the three-point line and had eight offensive rebounds in Game 4.
The Knicks' strength all season has been outworking their opponents, but the Heat have proven time after time in this series that they will work harder, scramble faster and attack more ferociously. Now the Knicks are clinging to the hope and mantra of one game at a time.
“You got to win four to win a series,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So all we’re thinking about is, win the next game. Go quarter by quarter. We’re in the first quarter. We’re in the second quarter. We’re in the third. We’re in the fourth. The next day we’ll worry about the next day. All we’re doing is thinking about the next game.”
“Get a win at home, that’s it,” Barrett said. “Headed home, just got to get back to being a tough, physical team that gets to the offensive glass and takes care of the defensive boards. We got to take care of the ball a little better. I had three turnovers, and got to do a better job of that. Things like that. We clean that up, we’ll have a good chance.”
It’s the same thing the Knicks have said since the series began, but it’s hard to argue that Jimmy Butler hasn’t set a tone that the Heat have followed — and that the Knicks have yet to match.
The Heat, with a band of hungry undrafted players behind Butler and Bam Adebayo, led an effort that kept the Knicks at bay Monday with hustle plays and second-chance buckets. Miami grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, ruining defensive stops.
“I think our guys have wrapped our minds around that's what this series is,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You're just going to have to make these plays in the trenches. And they might look different, game to game, minute to minute, quarter to quarter. Is that the game plan in the fourth quarter to get four extra possessions or whatever it is? I can't say that it was. We just had to find different solutions knowing there are going to be big challenges. You're just going to have to make effort plays. You're just going to make the plays in between. And we were able to do that.”
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.
