If you haven’t noticed, but the Miami Heat are on a mission to quiet all doubters. Last year, the Miami Heat were stopped in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Boston Celtics. However, Jimmy Butler has the Heat looking unstoppable.
Needless to say, the start of the second round of the NBA Playoffs went as expected. Although the New York Knicks are the higher seed, there’s a lot of doubt in their ability to win this series.
The Knicks began Game 1 with a 32-21 first quarter start. It became very obvious that the Knicks had the fresher legs. The Heat’s strategy of playing it close until the 4th quarter worked.
At the half, the Heat were only down 5 points in New York. With most veteran playoff teams like the Heat, it’s hard to rattle them. Player like Kyle Lowry and Kevin love played massive roles in the Game 1 victory.
Lowry and Love are NBA Champion vets. Lowry had 18 points coming off the bench, and Love had 9 points in the starting rotation. The 9 points might not seem like much, however, it’s important to note when they occurred.
In pivotal momentum swings, Love and Lowry made big 3 point shots. Additionally, Jimmy Butler played like the superstar he’s grown to be. 25 points and 11 rebounds. Butler did roll his ankle, but in the NBA playoffs, great players like Butler return.
Bam Adebayo had 16 points on the night with 8 rebounds.
As for the Knicks, Jalen Brunson played lights out. The 6’1 guard put up 25 points of his own, 7 assists, and 5 Rebounds. Brunson was very consistent through out the game.
Unfortunately, Brunson’s efforts weren’t enough. Without Julius Randle in the line-up in Game 1, the Knicks looked short handed. Randle ability to play was a game time decision.
Nonetheless, Randle is expected to play in Game 2. It will be difficult for the Knicks to win this series without him. Lastly, if the Heat take Game 2 as well, I can almost secure a sweep on the betting lines. I can’t see the Knicks winning 2 games in Miami.