ESNY’s 5 gif reaction to the New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat

Despite a chance to tie it in the final seconds, the New York Knicks drop another game to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.

The New York Knicks are no joke this season. They might not be winning every game, but they are making their opponents earn the win every time they step on the court. Once again, a valiant effort by the Knicks falls flat against the Miami Heat.

There was simply too much Jimmy Butler for the Knicks to handle on Tuesday night. He led the Heat to a 98-96 win with 26 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists.

City Edition Jerseys

It’s the Knicks and the Heat like you have never seen them before. Both teams wore their city edition uniforms and it took some time to get used to the color scheme. The Knicks wore their dark City Edition uniforms that have received mixed reviews.

The Heat, on the other hand, wore their City Edition uniforms that mix a blue and pink gradient that is in your face, to say the least. Miami has had some of the better City Edition uniforms of the last few years, but these ones are…distracting?

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Rose-Quickley Duo Starts Off Hot

When news of the Knicks trading for Derrick Rose broke, the first question was how would he fit into the rotation? Thibs is using him off the bench in tandem with rookie Immanuel Quickley. So far, so good.

Quickley and Rose entered the game and immediately propelled the Knicks on a 26-5 run to take control back from Miami. Elfrid Payton and RJ Barrett continue to man the starting backcourt, but Quickley and Rose already look like they are gelling on the second unit. Rose finished with 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting.

Austin Rivers is the odd man out for the time being. Frank Ntilikina also missed Tuesday’s game due to health and safety protocols.

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Points In The Paint — Advantage: Knicks

In the search for the metagame, or the “game within the game” between the Knicks and Heat, points in the paint stand out. New York dominated this area of the game, outscoring the Heat 36-14 in the paint.

Part of that had to do with the attacking mindset of the Knicks’ backcourt, both the starting group and the second unit. However, it’s also worth noting that Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel’s rim protection helped keep Maimi from scoring inside.

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Free Throws — Advantage: Heat

But there’s another explanation for why the Heat couldn’t score in the paint — the Knicks couldn’t stop fouling them. The Heat went 32-for-29 from the charity stripe which helped overcome the margins on paint points. Meanwhile, the Knicks only went to the line 16 times, converting on 12 of those chances.

For a second consecutive game, the Knicks and Heat were playing a game that would come down to the final minutes.

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Helter Skelter Finish

The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report for this game should be interesting. There were a few possessions where the officials needed some time to sort things out. But after some replay reviews and more foul shots for Jimmy Butler, the Knicks found themselves down two with six seconds left.

RJ Barrett had an open driving lane on the left side, but couldn’t convert on the layup. His attempt rolled off the rim and the Knicks were on the losing end once again.

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