Mar 29, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Knicks-Heat series starts on Sunday at 1 p.m. at The Garden. If recent — and not so recent — history is an indication, this should be a competitive, deep series.
The winner advances to the Eastern Conference Final, a place the Knicks haven’t been since 2000.
With that in mind, here are three things to keep an eye on early in the series:
Apr 15, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) dunks against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first quarter of game one of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
1. Board meeting
The Knicks did many things well in their first-round win over Cleveland. One of them? Rebounding. And you could argue that it was the most critical area of the series.
The Knicks outrebounded the Cavs by 29 on the offensive glass over five games. They also took 27 more shots across the series. In a playoff setting where every possession matters, those extra shots take can be the difference between success and failure.
The Heat finished in the bottom five in offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds per game in the regular season. But they did well in keeping the Bucks from grabbing offensive rebounds in the first round.
The Heat lineup of Jimmy Butler, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo — the one they used most often in their upset over the Milwaukee Bucks — presents a different challenge for the Knicks. The Cavs lineup featuring Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley didn’t have the level of outside shooting that Miami’s brings. So Knick defenders may be forced to defend the perimeter more than they did against Cleveland.
But if Robinson maintains his current level of play against Miami, the Heat are in trouble.
Robinson averaged 9.8 rebounds per game — 5.8 on the offensive glass — and 2.2 blocks….
..
