Julius Randle, New York Knicks (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
The New York Knicks face off against the Miami Heat in the second round of the NBA playoffs in a battle between Jimmy Butler and Jalen Brunson.
The New York Knicks and Miami Heat are going at it in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. New York punched its ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a five-game series win over the Cavs while the Heat were able to stun the top-seeded Bucks in five games as well.
This second round series in the East got underway on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, but with Julius Randle sidelined due to injury, the Heat were able to steal Game 1 in the Knicks’ house, thanks largely in part to a dismal second-half showing from New York.
With injuries playing a key factor and the Heat now ahead 1-0 with a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals on the line, here are the three key factors for the rest of this NBA Playoffs series.
No. 3 key to Knicks-Heat series: Health of Julius Randle
The health of Julius Randle will be huge for this series. The offense for the Knicks can get very stagnant without him out there, which proved to be true in Game 1. New York can depend on Jalen Brunson for buckets but, at a certain point, Miami will adjust and throw doubles at him off screens to get him to move the ball — something also evident in Game 1.
Randle had an up-and-down series against Cleveland but he still provided a crucial offense option for them. While offensively Adebayo still underperforms on defense he is still a stud in this league. Mitchell Robinson will not be able to so easily control the boards as he did in the Cleveland series.
Having a key big man like Randle out there will help the Knicks fight for control of the glass.
On the flip side, Butler went down in the second half of the series-opening win with an ankle injury. His status moving forward after being hobbled will be critical for the Heat given how dominant he’s been in the NBA Playoffs to this point.