New York Knicks @ Miami Heat Preview: How, Who to Watch in Fiery Playoff Chase
Things are getting hot in the NBA's Eastern Conference playoff race.
The New York Knicks are probably safe from the clutches of the Play-In Tournament, but the Manhattanites have their sights set on bigger prizes. They can inch closer toward those titles by getting back on track against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night in South Beach.
New York has dropped two games in a row for the first time since the end of February, sitting at the wrong end of a 113-112 decision to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. The Knicks have not dropped three games in a row since four-contest drought just before the All-Star break and will look to establish further distance from postseason purgatory with a win over the Heat, who currently hold the East's seventh seed.
Miami sits three games behind the Knicks for fourth and a game behind the Indiana Pacers for sixth. The Heat has won two in a row, taking advantage of subpar competition by dominating both Portland and Washington, wining the former game on Friday by 60 points.
This will be the third and final meeting between the Knicks and Heat this season. New York will search for its first sweep of the Heat since 1992-93, prevailing in the first two get-togethers in November and January. The latter, however, proved to be costly, as Julius Randle left the latter stages of the Knicks' 125-109 win with a dislocated shoulder and he hasn't taken the floor since.
What: New York Knicks (44-30) @ Miami Heat (41-33)
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
When/Watch: Tueday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG
Who's Favored: MIA -3.5
Keep An Eye On: Miles McBride
The Knicks are a dramatically different team from the one that fell to Miami in last year's postseason. McBride, often used as a mere 12th man during last year's run, is one of the biggest differences, particularly with his unexpected but welcome contributions to the Knicks' outside shooting. If the Knicks and Heat are destined for another playoff matchup, McBride's breakout could wind up being a valuable differencemaker, especially if he winds up being one of the differences that could actually partake in such a series considering OG Anunoby's injury and Bojan Bogdanovic/Alec Burks' continued ineffectiveness.
South Floridian to Watch: Bam Adebayo
The Knicks face Adebayo at a time where their interior picture is in a state of relative confusion: Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa continue to step up but Mitchell Robinson's situation is also troubling, and his return could prove to be short-lived. Robinson is officially listed as questionable for Tuesday's game but expect Adebayo to try and leave his mark on it no matter what transpires. The South Beach staple is averaing a double-double this season, including a career-best 10.7 rebounds per game.
They Said It
"I'm looking at it like this is the team we're going to have. I think that's how we have to approach it, that those guys aren't coming back and obviously we'll be pleasantly surprised if they come back. I'm not in those medical conversations or anything like that, so I don't know s--- from s---. But we've got to approach every game and the end of this season that those guys aren't coming back, and if they do, be pleasantly surprised."-Josh Hart on the outlook with OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson all injured (h/t Tim Bontemps, ESPN)
Prediction
The Knicks have responded very well to adversity this season, albeit with reasonable constraints. One thing they have been able to do is cauterize losing streaks before they get out of hand. With the playoffs closer than ever and uncertainty starting to reign, there's a prime opportuniy to have a working business trip in South Florida.