There is life for the Knicks. And, with Jalen Brunson as the leader, also hope. The extraordinary performance of the point guard gives the victory at Madison Square Garden to the New Yorkers, who manage to tighten the series (3-2) and make the sixth game decisive, which will be played in Florida (on the night of Friday to Saturday). It was a beautiful game that did not count, as an exception, with a sublime performance by Jimmy Butler. But yes with Brunson’s, that showed that their non-inclusion in the Best Quintets of the season was a mistake and that the New Yorkers were led by him and not by Julius Randle, included in the Third. Something strange but that does not stop hiding the talent of the playmakerhis ability on both sides of the track, his strength from the waist down, the power he has to penetrate and also to generate his own shots despite his short height (1.88). He has become the hero of a Madison that has vibrated again. For, perhaps, the last time this season. We will see.
And that the starting script seemed almost traced to the rest of the Heat’s victories. A strong start, forcing rival errors, squeezing the outsiders and moving Julius Randle away from his zone of influence in attack, in addition to permanently looking for his defects in defense. The distance then was 24-14, the maximum that the visitors had in the match. After that, Brunson arrived: 14 points in the second period of the 36 for his team. No more half measures for Tom Thibodeau, who understood that he could not entrench himself on defense, that there he had the battle lost in the collaborative game of the Heat and that Erik Spoelstra was thus winning the battle. He gave Brunson free reign, who did what he does best: dribble, control, direct. And, at the same time, they tried to win the rebound on both sides of the court. It worked: the Knicks went into a trance and the Heat in crisis. There was a new game.
The Knicks managed then and from there from the comfort of the lead. They came to command 19 (73-54 in the third period) and arrived with a 10-point advantage in the last quarter (84-74). A triple by Duncan Robinson (17 goals, with 5 of 10 from the outside) sowed doubts in the heart of Madison with 7 minutes remaining (95-91). The situation improved for the locals first (98-91), but worsened later: 103-100. Match of a possession. End of heart attack Brunson, the actions of Mitchell Robinson (8+11, very active under the basket) and the free throws of RJ Barrett (26+7, his good performance) closed the game. The Heat had it, but they did not materialize. And the Knicks saved a life that always leaves a good taste in the mouth and allows the season not to end with a 4-1 that usually shows insufficient effort.. And that is not always.
Brunson finished with 38 points (12 of 22 from the field, 4 of 10 on 3-pointers and 10 of 12 from personal), 9 rebounds and 7 assists. And he played the 48 minutes, again Thibodeau brand. Well accompanied by Quentin Grimes in the backourt (8+4+5, with 2 steals, one of them key at the end, and 2 blocks), he had a great contribution from Julius Randle this time (24+5+5), in the always well-chosen minutes that Tom Thibodeau gives him, who does not dare (he never has) to move the bench excessively (42-8 in goals there for the Heat). In Erik Spoelstra’s team, just 19 points from Jimmy Butler (in almost 43 minutes), 18+8 from Bam Adebayo, 14 from Max Strus (4 of 10 in triples), 11 from Caleb Martin and a great Kyle Lowry from the bench ( 17 points with 5 of 10 in triples), who is showing a splendid level despite his 37 years. The series moves to the Kaseya Center, where the Heat are 4-0 in the current playoffs.. When a team goes 3-1 (this is how Florida’s were before this game) the balance is 264-13 in NBA history. Everything indicates that the Heat are going to win. The only thing left to discover is whether Brunson will allow it. A total monster.