Three-day break gives Heat, Knicks chance ‘to gear up for the gladiator battle’ in Game 3
The second-round playoff series between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks moves to Miami for two games, but not before a three-day break.
After the Knicks defeated the Heat 111-105 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden to even the series 1-1, Game 3 is not until Saturday afternoon at Kaseya Center. The lull in the schedule comes at a good time for the Heat and Knicks because both teams are banged up after a physical start to the series.
“It’s going to be great,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said of the three-day gap between Games 2 and 3. “But we still got to focus and stay locked in on what we have to do and the task at hand. They’re coming down there, and they’re hungry to try to get home-court advantage back. But we have to take advantage of the opportunity we have to be at home.”
The Heat played without star Jimmy Butler in Game 2 after he sprained his right ankle late in Game 1. There’s cautious optimism Butler will be able to return to play Saturday.
“His body will let you know, me know, him know, the team know,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked if the break will allow Butler to play in Game 3. “There’s no way to predict it. But I’m glad we have a couple extra days.”
The Heat was also without guards Tyler Herro (broken right hand) and reserve guard Victor Oladipo (torn patellar tendon) in Game 2, but they aren’t expected back any time soon. Herro won’t return until the NBA Finals at the earliest if the Heat makes it that far, and Oladipo is out for the rest of the playoffs.
But there are also others on the Heat’s roster who either continue to play through pain or sustained injuries in Tuesday’s loss.
All-Star center Bam Adebayo has played through a strained left hamstring for most of the postseason, and Lowry has managed to be effective and available despite his troublesome left knee.
“I mean, most of the year, we played every other day,” Heat guard Gabe Vincent said. “So any time we get an extra day off, you take advantage of it. We’re looking forward to it. I know a lot of guys have kids and families and I’m happy they get some time to spend with them during this stressful time. But we’ll recuperate, get some treatment, rehab, whatever guys need and we’re looking forward to Game 3.”
Heat forward Max Strus also left Game 2 briefly because of a lower back contusion before returning to finish the game.
“I just fell on it, a little bruise,” Strus said. “It will be good to wait until Saturday.”
On the other side, the Knicks were essentially at full strength Tuesday after welcoming back All-Star forward Julius Randle, who missed Game 1 of the series because of a sprained left ankle. The time off before Game 3 should help Randle continue to manage that injury.
“I’ll do whatever I got to do to make myself available to play and just take it a day at a time,” Randle said.
Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson also played through a sore right ankle on Tuesday and Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has been battling through a hip injury.
“It has been a good, challenging series so far,” Knicks forward RJ Barrett said. “It has been a dog fight.”
The Heat and Knicks aren’t required by the NBA to issue their injury reports for Game 3 until Friday at 5:30 p.m.
“If you’re a basketball aficionado, you got to love this series,” Spoelstra said. “You have great competition, guys going after it, leaving nothing to chance. Both teams probably could use an extra day just to gear up for the gladiator battle that’s about to ensue on Saturday.”
A CHALLENGING CALL
What was called a shot-clock violation on the Heat at a critical point of the game may not have been a shot-clock violation. The problem is the Heat could not challenge the call.
With the Knicks ahead by three points and 3:07 left in the fourth quarter, Heat forward Caleb Martin put up a fadeaway jumper at the end of the shot clock that appeared to graze the front of the rim before it landed in Vincent’s hands for a putback layup. Vincent’s basket would have cut the deficit to one point with just about three minutes to play.
But the officials ruled that Martin’s shot did not hit the rim and called a shot-clock violation on the Heat, negating Vincent’s putback.
The Knicks then scored on the next possession to extend their lead to five with 2:48 remaining, completing the late-game four-point swing.
Spoelstra could not challenge the play, despite still having an available challenge and the remaining timeout needed to use a challenge, because a shot-clock violation is not on the list of calls eligible to be challenged. The only plays that can be challenged are a called personal foul charged to one’s own team, a called out-of-bounds violation or a called goaltending or basket interference violation.
“I saw the ball just change course of direction from my vantage point,” Spoelstra said of the play. “But I get it. This game is not an easy game to officiate. It just looked like it took a different course. That would have made it a one-point game. That’s an important play. But look, the officials didn’t have anything to do with this. We had enough plays to make on our own.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 2:05 PM.
