For the second round of the playoffs, NBA fans get treated with one of the best playoff rivalries of the last 25 years. Back when the rivalry became fierce in the 90s it was full of fierce and competitive basketball. Though the game is played far differently than it was back then, we are still in for a great series. The renewed rivalry starts out in Madison Square Garden in front of a New York crowd that has not seen their team make it this deep in the playoffs since 2013. As for the Heat, they are hoping to make their second straight trip to the eastern conference finals.
Both teams made it this far by winning series where they did have home court advantage or were favored to win the series. The Knicks won their series in 5 games over a Cavaliers team that they were surprisingly able to dominant with their lockdown defense. They were led by their star guard Jalen Brunson who averaged 24 points per game in the series However, no team has made a more unexpected appearance in the second round than the Miami Heat. They are fresh off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history after defeating the first seeded Milwaukee Bucks in 5 games. They did so without one of their best players in Tyler Herro who was injured in game 1 of the series. Jimmy Butler took control of the series putting on one of the greatest performances in NBA history, averaging an incredible 37.6 points per game.
There will be several factors to watch for in this series that could play a major role in who wins this series. This series could likely be decided by they play of Jimmy Butler and how the Knicks are able to match up defensively. If Butler is able to score at will it could put a lot of pressure on a Knicks team who has the lowest scoring offense of any of the remaining playoff teams. A difference maker defensively for the Knicks in guarding Butler could be Josh Hart who was excellent defensively against Donovan Mitchell. Offensively for the Knicks, RJ Barrett could be a major X-factor especially since Knicks All-Star Julius Randle is dealing with a sprained ankle he suffered in the last series. Barrett was the leading scorer in the regular season series against the Heat where he averaged 21.3 points per game and he could be a impact player if he is able to have similar production in this series.
For my series prediction, I am going with the Knicks to win this series in 6 games as I believe the Knicks will do a better job matching up with Jimmy Butler than the Bucks were able to. I also expect Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett to play well offensively and if Randle is able to come back and play better than he did against the Cavaliers, the Knicks should be able to overwhelm the Heat.
Comentários