The New York Knicks face off against the Miami Heat in the second round of the NBA Playoffs in a fight between Jimmy Butler and Jalen Brunson.
The New York Knicks and Miami Heat will enter the second round of the NBA Playoffs. New York clinched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a five-game series victory over the Cavs while the Heat was able to stun the higher-seeded Bucks in five games as well.
The East’s second-round series kicked off Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, but with Julius Randle sidelined with an injury, the Heat managed to steal Game 1 at the Knicks’ home, thanks in no small part to a dismal second half. View from New York.
With injuries playing a major role, and the Heat now leading 1-0 with a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals on the line, here are the three key factors for the rest of the NBA playoff series.
Key #3 to the Knicks Heat series: Julius Randle’s health
Julius Randle’s health will be a big deal for the series. Knicks’ offense could become very stagnant without him there, which proved to be true in the first game. New York can count on Jalen Bronson to get buckets, but at a certain point, Miami will bust and throw a double at him off the screens to get him to move the ball — also evident in Game 1.
Randle had an up and down streak against Cleveland but still provided a crucial offensive option for them. While Adebayo still performs poorly offensively in defense, he is still one of the best players in this league. Mitchell Robinson won’t be able to control the plates as easily as he did in the Cleveland series.
Having a big guy like Randle up there will help the Knicks fight for control of the Glass.
On the other hand, Butler went down in the second game of the opening set win with an ankle injury. Getting him to come forward after being fouled will be crucial to the Heat given how dominant they have been in the playoffs up to this point.