One of the few times the Knicks have looked like themselves in this second-round series came with just under six minutes to go in the fourth quarter of Game 2. Trailing by three points and staring into the abyss of a 2-0 hole, New York dug deep and began to impose its will on the Jimmy Butler-less Heat, pounding the paint during a trip that featured two offensiverebounds, two loose-ballfouls drawn and, eventually, a game-tying corner 3-pointer by Josh Hart that tied the game and changed the vibe inside Madison Square Garden.
Knowing Brunson’s working on a hobbled ankle and shouldering a massive shot-creation burden, the Heat forced him to work overtime everywhere they could: having Gabe Vincent pressure him full court, having whichever Miami wing he was guarding run him off screens and around dribble-handoffs, etc.
Butler can do that, and just about anything else Spoelstra might need over the course of a game, too; balky ankle or no, he's capable of being the best player in any game he's in. Adebayo can start the series committing primarily to keeping opening-round hero Mitchell Robinsonand then pivot to averaging 20 points and 12.5 boards of his own on 55% shooting in two wins, all while limiting Randle and guarding every other player in a Knick uniform at one point or another, too.
Spoelstra's an ace tactician, forever ensuring that the Heat will pick any low-hanging fruit available to them and that they'll lead the adjustments — liketo put Butler on Barrett and Vincent on Brunson — rather than needing to be reactive and having the terms of engagement dictated to them.
It took 82 games of beauty in the struggle, but Spoelstra might have found himself a 16-game roster: a tough, tenacious and versatile group that , that's unlikely to beat itself, and that can win in a lot of different ways. Including, as evidenced on Monday, the way
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