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Heat Notes: Vincent, Butler, Love, Herro

April 30th, 2023 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Gabe Vincent‘s performance in Wednesday’s close-out victory over the Bucks should help make him a popular free agent this summer, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat guard had 22 points and six assists and delivered two clutch plays that contributed to Miami’s improbable win. He sank a three-pointer with eight seconds left that cut Milwaukee’s lead to one point and threw the pass that Jimmy Butler converted to send the game to overtime.

Vincent also shut down All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, limiting him to 4-of-11 from the field while defending him. He held Bulls star Zach LaVine to 1-of-7 shooting in their play-in game, and Jackson notes that Vincent has been one of the league’s best defensive point guards throughout the season.

“Guys were feeding him a bunch of confidence at the shootaround (before Game 5), telling him we needed him to score, be aggressive, be assertive,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “When Jimmy and Bam (Adebayo) are telling you that, you feel like you can conquer the world.”

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Tom Thibodeau, Butler’s first NBA coach, will try to find a way to limit him as the Knicks prepare to host Miami in Sunday’s series opener, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Thibodeau believed the rookie had a bright NBA future when he first arrived in Chicago, but he’s surprised by the level Butler has been able to reach. “I’ll be honest — I didn’t see this,” Thibodeau admitted. “I saw the things that stood out were his toughness, his competitiveness. He played a lot of power forward (in college). But when you look at him, you say OK, I felt like we were getting a rotation player. I didn’t know how good he would become.”
Kevin Love is enjoying his first playoff experience since he reached the NBA Finals with Cleveland in 2018, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The 34-year-old big man was confident that he picked the right team after his buyout with the Cavaliers. “I wanted to come. I wanted to win. I wanted to be a part of winning. I wanted to be a part of this and help make these guys’ lives easier,” he said. “And I felt like in a lot of cases I was able to do that. But I was definitely, even in my 15th year, trying to find my way. Us being here, advancing to the second round, beating a one seed after being in the play-in, yeah, I think it checks a lot of boxes. Obviously we have a lot of work to do, but, again I felt like I could still play, still contribute, and potentially be a part of something special.”
Tyler Herro‘s absence may be more significant in the second-round series than it was against the Bucks, Winderman suggests in another Sun Sentinel story. Winderman notes that Herro averaged 23.0 PPG against the Knicks during the regular season, and his creativity was vital in breaking down New York’s defense.

Knicks Notes: Toppin, Randle, Grimes, Robinson, Brunson

April 29th, 2023 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Julius Randle‘s uncertain status for Sunday’s series opener against Miami may result in the first career playoff start for Obi Toppin, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Randle is listed as questionable after reinjuring his left ankle Wednesday, and he wasn’t able to participate in Saturday’s practice, according to Botte.

Randle suffered the injury late in the second quarter of the Knicks’ close-out win against the Cavaliers, and Toppin took his place in the starting lineup for the beginning of the second half. Toppin has only started 15 games in his three NBA seasons, but he feels ready for the assignment after seeing increased playing time following Randle’s first ankle injury.

“We are preparing exactly the same,” Toppin said. “Everybody, we are all going to do the same exact thing whether Julius plays or he doesn’t play. We don’t know exactly what his status is right now. But whatever the coaches need all of us to do … I feel like we understand and know what to do once we get out on the floor.”

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Quentin Grimes is also listed as questionable with a right shoulder contusion, but coach Tom Thibodeau said Grimes should be able to play Sunday as long as there are no late setbacks, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
Mitchell Robinson dominated the paint in the first-round series against Cleveland, but that will be harder to do against Miami, states Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Robinson will be matched up with Bam Adebayo, who often steps out of the lane to initiate the team’s offense. Braziller notes that Robinson averaged just 4.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in three regular season games against the Heat.
Along with his outstanding play, Jalen Brunson‘s demeanor has played a role in the Knicks’ turnaround, per Steve Popper of Newsday. As the son of an NBA player, Brunson has been familiar with the league from a young age and he’s been able to share a sense of calmness with his teammates. “He is very composed,” Josh Hart said. “He is never rushed, never rattled. Very poised. He’s able to get his own shot and also get other guys involved. He’s able to just control the game and that’s what you want out of the point guard. You guys see in late-game situations Jalen will take over the game, knock down big free throws. He does all those kind of things. So that’s what you want in a point guard. That’s what you want in a leader. That’s what you want from one of the stars on the team and he does it on a nightly basis.”

Have Become A Team No One Wants To Face In Playoffs

April 28th, 2023 at 11:18pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks are peaking at the right time and have become a team no one wants to face in the playoffs, according to Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. The Knicks never trailed their series-clinching Game 5 victory over the Cavaliers, Vaccaro notes. “The way this team plays resonates with all our fans,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “They play hard and play smart and play together. When you play that way in New York it’s always recognized. You need everybody in a situation like that to win on the road and play the way we did and that’s a credit to our entire team.”

Heat Notes: Oladipo, Butler, Love, Adebayo, Lowry

April 28th, 2023 at 4:48pm CST by Rory Maher

Guard Victor Oladipo underwent successful surgery on Thursday to repair the torn patellar tendon in his left knee, the Heat announced (via Twitter). There’s no recovery timeline yet, per the team.

While that’s the official stance, there’s a “hope and belief” that Oladipo, who turns 31 years old next week, will return to action at some point during the 2023/24 season, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Oladipo holds a $9.45MM player option for next season, and another major knee injury essentially guaranteed that he will exercise it, as he’s highly unlikely to find any offers that lucrative in free agency.

The veteran guard appeared in 42 games (26.3 MPG) for the Heat in ’22/23, his most games played since ’17/18, when he made his first All-Star team. He averaged 10.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.5 APG and 1.4 SPG on .397/.330/.747 shooting this season.

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Jimmy Butler won’t wither under the bright lights of the postseason and Madison Square Garden like the Cavaliers did, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, who refers to the Heat star as a “worthy enemy” for the Knicks in their second-round series, which begins Sunday afternoon. “A lot of guys play the game of basketball in this league. He competes to win. That’s a different language,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler. “He’s desperate and urgent and maniacal and sometimes psychotic about the will to try to win. He’ll make everybody in the building feel it. And that’s why he is us and we are him. That’s the way we operate as well. The psychotic meets the psychotic. And it gets a little bit whatever.”
The Cavaliers, Kevin Love‘s former team, were eliminated by New York on the same night the Heat defeated the top-seeded Bucks to advance, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Love reached a buyout with the Cavs after his role was reduced, and Cleveland’s bench struggled once again in Game 5 just as Love had his best game of the Bucks series, Jackson adds. Love is understandably focused on his current club. “We’re resilient,” Love said. “We have guys that do a lot of stuff that may or may not show up in the stat sheet but we’re all about winning. We all bring the ego that got us here but for the betterment of the team.”
Bam Adebayo‘s left hamstring strain is improving, Spoelstra told reporters, including Jackson (subscriber link). “He just got done with a workout,” Spoelstra said Friday. “He feels much better.” Adebayo was hampered by the injury throughout the five-game series versus Milwaukee, though he was able to play in every game.
Point guard Kyle Lowry was moved to a reserve role after dealing with a knee injury, and Spoelstra said the Heat decided to stick with Gabe Vincent in the starting lineup for “stability and consistency,” writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “He has been great about it,” Spoelstra said of Lowry coming off the bench. “He is all about winning right now. He’s playing a massive role with us right now. But that’s why he is who he is. If you’re all about winning, you’ll sacrifice if you need to, take on a little bit of a different role, if you need to, if it makes sense for winning. You can always look at it like he’s a sixth starter.”

Knicks Notes: Towns, Randle, Grimes, Hart

April 28th, 2023 at 2:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks are expected to be aggressive in trying to add talent this summer and could be a leading contender if the Timberwolves decide to trade Karl-Anthony Towns, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy. A league source told Deveney that Towns would have interest in going to New York and speculated that it’s just a matter of time before the Knicks try to make it happen.

Deveney points out that Towns already has ties to the organization in team president Leon Rose, who is his former agent, and head coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Towns for two and a half seasons in Minnesota. The Wolves’ early playoff exit, combined with New York’s surge into the Eastern Conference semifinals, creates even more motivation for the move to happen, Deveney adds.

Towns has one more season before his four-year, $224MM super-max extension kicks in, which will place a tremendous strain on the Wolves’ finances. Trading him might be the best option for avoiding the strictest provisions of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“No matter the success this year, the Knicks are going to keep being aggressive,” an Eastern Conference executive told Deveney. “So you’d want to start with RJ Barrett there. But you can send (Obi) Toppin, you can send (Quentin) Grimes, (Miles) McBride. They do not want to trade (Immanuel) Quickley but if the target is Towns, maybe they would change that. You’d play Towns at the 5 if you were New York so they’d probably have Mitchell Robinson in the deal, and he could go to a third team. A lot of possibilities and Minnesota might be a better team by putting it all on (Anthony) Edwards and getting the right pieces from that mix.”

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No timetable has been set for a return by Julius Randle, who reinjured his left ankle in Wednesday’s game, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Thibodeau said Randle was limited in Friday’s practice to shooting, lifting weights and doing cardio work in the pool. He’s considered day-to-day ahead of the start of New York’s second-round series with Miami on Sunday afternoon.
Grimes, who missed the past two games with a right shoulder contusion, is optimistic that he’ll be ready for the series opener (video link from SNY.tv).
The Knicks and Heat have been through some legendary playoff battles, but Josh Hart said that won’t have any effect this year’s series (video link). “It was 23, 27 years ago,” Hart told reporters. “Most of our guys weren’t even born yet. For us, those are the war stories of the past. We’ve got our own path.”

Jericho Sims Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

April 27th, 2023 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks center Jericho Sims had surgery Wednesday on his injured right shoulder, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The recovery process will take about five months, and Sims is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, sources tell Wojnarowski.

Sims missed New York’s entire first-round series against the Cavaliers and hasn’t played since April 7. He appeared in 52 games this season and averaged 3.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game while shooting 78% from the field.

Wojnarowski notes that Sims moved into a rotation role during the middle of the season while Mitchell Robinson was sidelined following thumb surgery, adding that the Knicks were 15-11 when Sims played at least 15 minutes.

Sims, 24, signed a two-way contract after being selected by New York with the 58th pick in the 2021 draft. It was converted to a standard deal last summer that includes a partial guarantee for next season and a $2MM team option for 2024/25.

He took part in the Slam Dunk Contest during this year’s All-Star Weekend.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Randle, Toppin, Robinson

April 27th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Brunson was the best player on the court during his first playoff series with the Knicks, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Brunson was New York’s top offseason addition, joining the team on a four-year, $104MM contract in free agency. The Knicks were docked a second-round pick in 2025 for early negotiations with Brunson, but it seemed like a small price to pay on Wednesday as he led the franchise to its first series victory since 2013.

“It’s a really cool experience knowing that my dad (Knicks assistant Rick Brunson) played here — he was on that team that got to the Finals (in 1999),” Brunson said. “It’s special. The connection that me and my dad have, everything, all the full circle, it’s really special.”

Brunson had 23 points, four rebounds and four assists in the close-out victory at Cleveland and made big plays to hold off several Cavaliers rallies. He quickly emerged as a team leader after coming to New York and has provided stability at point guard that the team lacked for years.

“He’s a star player,” Josh Hart said. “He showed that last year in the playoffs. He showed that this whole season, and he’s continuing to show it, continuing to prove people wrong, and none of us in that locker room or in that front office or coaching staff is surprised by how he’s playing.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

The only downside to Wednesday’s victory was Julius Randle reinjuring his left ankle, Friedell adds. Randle didn’t return to the game after limping off in the second quarter, and coach Tom Thibodeau said he will be reevaluated today. Randle, who had struggled with his shot during the series, was back in All-Star form before the injury with 13 points, six assists and four rebounds in 16 minutes
The Knicks got a lift from Obi Toppin, who replaced Randle after he left the game, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. Toppin scored all 12 of his points in the third quarter and thrilled his teammates with a breakaway windmill dunk. “I feel like my approach is the same every time I enter the game. I feel like I know what I got to do,” Toppin said. “Be aggressive, bring a lot of energy and have fun and definitely play defense. I feel like we all did that today.”
Mitchell Robinson‘s work on the boards helped the Knicks survive despite shooting just 21.1% in the fourth quarter on Wednesday, states Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Robinson finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds and 18 overall as he continued his domination of Cleveland’s big men. “I’ve said this all along, I think he’s the best offensive rebounder in the league,” Thibodeau said. “Oftentimes, he’s got two bodies on him and they’re making a conscious effort to keep him off the glass. And now his defensive rebounding is coming along also. That rebounding piece is huge. The shot blocking, the rim protection, the pick-and-roll defense, and his offense is starting to come as well.”

Knicks’ Julius Randle Re-Sprains Left Ankle In Game 5

April 26th, 2023 at 7:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Julius Randle missed the final five games of the regular season following a left ankle sprain. Unfortunately, he re-sprained the same ankle in Wednesday’s Game 5 against Cleveland, the Knicks announced (via Twitter).

Randle appeared to be in considerable pain after landing on Caris LeVert‘s foot with 1:17 remaining in the first half, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. A couple trainers assisted Randle when he first got back up, but he was able to limp to the locker room on his own, notes Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Third-year forward Obi Toppin started the second half in Randle’s place. The Knicks currently lead by 12 at the end of the third quarter, and a victory would clinch the first-round series.

Randle earned his second All-Star nod in 2022/23, averaging 25.1 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 4.1 APG on .459/.343/.757 shooting in 77 games (35.5 MPG). He said he wasn’t feeling the effects of the initial sprain after Game 1, but he averaged just 14.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.0 SPG on .323/.258/.643 shooting through the first four games of the series (31.8 MPG).

According to Popper, Randle returned to the bench in street clothes, so he will be out for at least the rest of Game 5 (Twitter link). The 28-year-old had a productive half, recording 13 points, six assists and four rebounds in 16 minutes.

In other health-related news for the Knicks, guard Quentin Grimes missed his second straight game with a right shoulder contusion (Twitter link via the team). As Katz observes (via Twitter), Grimes was considered a game-time decision, but he didn’t go through pre-game warmups, indicating that he would be ruled out.

Trade deadline addition Josh Hart, who has been terrific for the Knicks since they acquired him from Portland, started his second straight game in place of Grimes.

Knicks Notes: Randle, Thibodeau, Offense, Robinson

April 26th, 2023 at 1:32pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Knicks power forward Julius Randle provided a terse response when asked about being sat for the entire fourth quarter of the team’s Game 4 victory over the Cavaliers, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post.

“We won the game,” he offered after the game. “You know, I’m a competitor. Obviously I would like to play, but like I said it’s [head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s] decision.”

Thibodeau felt that Randle is still dealing with the effects of a sprained left ankle. The 6’8″ big man scored just seven points while shooting 3-of-10 from the field.

“He had to do a lot to get back to play,” Thibodeau remarked. “So you’re talking about a quick turnaround from a late Friday night game to early Sunday… But he’s got a couple of days to recharge. He’s bouncing around today pretty good, which is what we thought. I felt he would be impacted in that game.”

New York currently leads the Cavaliers 3-1 in their first round series. A potential closeout game is scheduled for tonight.

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Thibodeau has restored his reputation as an elite NBA coach thanks to his performance during the 2022/23 regular season and now the playoffs, opines Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. The Knicks’ third-year had coach made some major lineup adjustments in early December, emphasizing high-upside youth over some of his previously preferred veterans.
By employing Knicks swingmen RJ Barrett and Josh Hart as the primary screeners in pick-and-roll actions with star point guard Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have been able to keep the Cavaliers’ intimidating starting fronctourt away from the ball and stuck near the baseline, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post.
A rival NBA coach spoke with Fred Katz of The Athletic about how Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has enjoyed so much success in the series so far. “I think the matchup helps him because he’s never gonna guard any stretch bigs against the Cavs,” the coach said. “He’s gonna be on [Jarrett] Allen. He’s gonna be on [Evan] Mobley. He can be in the paint and do what he does best. I think it’ll be interesting to see when, if they advance, if they play a big who’s more of a stretch big, how they handle it. But I think the matchup helps.”

Grimes Questionable To Play Game 5

April 25th, 2023 at 6:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks guard Quentin Grimes is questionable to play in Game 5 on Wednesday due to a right shoulder contusion, the team’s PR department tweets. The 2021 first-round pick is averaging just 3.7 points in the series against Cleveland.
The Knicks are one win away from their first series victory in 10 years. With New York leading 3-1, center Isaiah Hartenstein says the team can’t get complacent and allow the Cavs to rally back in the series, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. “I was telling the guys before, we still have one more game to go,” he said. “And I think even if it’s 3-1, I’ve seen a lot of teams come back from that. So you have to approach it the same way. Take it game by game.”