All eyes will be on Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat when the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals get underway in New York where the favored Knicks await.
Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden where NY is a -4 point favorite. The total is 207.5.
Miami Heat (49-40, #8 seed)
Miami is the sixth No. 8 seed to reach the second round and they are here because of Jimmy Butler. The Heat advanced after Butler dominated its five-game series with Milwaukee winning 4-1. Known for dazzling playoff performances, like in 2020 when he willed the Heat into the NBA Finals, Butler averaged an astounding 37.6 points in the first-round and scored 42 on Wednesday.
Jimmy Butler doing EVERYTHING early in Game 5 👀
📺: NBA TV | MIA Leads 3-1 pic.twitter.com/u8675gwWxl
— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2023
In the clincher, Butler hit a tying basket while falling to his back with 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation before the Heat completed the comeback from 16 points down for a 128-126 overtime victory.
JIMMY BUTLER FORCES OT!!! HOW DOES HE DO IT!! 🤯
(🎥: @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/8B67335qcu
— theScore (@theScore) April 27, 2023
Butler scored 56 points in Game 4 when Miami dominated the fourth quarter of a 119-115 victory.
Jimmy Butler is on fire in Game 4 🔥
MIL/MIA is late in Q1, live on TNT 🍿#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/7odOM4Bbvw
— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2023
The two victories in the final two games came after the Heat tied an NBA record by winning 24 games by five points or less during a 44-win regular season that sent them to the play-in round.
New York Knicks (51-36, 5th seed)
The Knicks advanced thanks to their first playoff series victory since 2013.
They won the final three games against Cleveland, including Wednesday’s 106-95 clincher. Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and RJ Barrett added 21:
RJ is more important to this series that people truly realize.
With all the attention and doubles focused on Randle (sometimes) and Brunson (mostly), Barrett is often left with a mismatch, and needs to use it to his advantage as much as possible. pic.twitter.com/TM4wLMVEIO
— Jake Brown (@JakeBr0wn) April 22, 2023
and both players were productive in the series with Brunson averaging 24.0 points and Barrett averaging 17.4.
Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett combine for 55 points in the Game 4 win 🔥
NYK/CLE shift back to Cleveland for Game 5 (Wed, 7pm/et, NBA TV)#PhantomCam pic.twitter.com/jRVPCQL0Pj
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2023
The Knicks will likely be without All-Star forward Julius Randle. He’s questionable to play after reinjuring his left ankle in the Game 5 victory at Cleveland. Starting guard Quentin Grimes, who missed the last two games with a bruised right shoulder, is practicing again and also listed as questionable.
History between the two teams
The Knicks took three of four, with their first two victories both by two points. All four games were decided by single digits.
They met every year from 1997 to 2000, with the Heat coming from 3-1 down to take the first one after suspensions from a fight swung the series, and the Knicks taking the final three. Every series went the distance.
This is just the third NBA playoff series where both teams are seeded No. 5 or lower. A 1994 matchup between Utah and Denver was also a No. 5 vs. No. 8, and Houston and Seattle had a 6-7 matchup in 1987.
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