By Miguel Mike Medina
The Miami Heat could’ve let this game slip away. Miami missed 12 of its first 15 shots in the fourth quarter. However, they found the tenacity to come out with a win over the New York Knicks. They showed their poise, leadership, resilience, and confidence in Game 4. Miami won 109-101 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Jimmy Butler is playing through the ankle injury. Butler has led Miami in scoring in every game throughout this postseason. Butler led Miami with 27 points, ten assists, six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. His ten assists in this game are huge, and it had to do with the Knicks continuing to double-team him. The more the Knicks tried to trap Butler, the easier it made for him to find his teammates. Jimmy Butler trusts his teammates. Butler took just 17 shots in this game. Butler looked more like Butler from the regular season than postseason Jimmy Butler in this game. He didn’t have to go into full Michael Jordan 2.0 mode by scoring 40-50 points to help his team win in Game 4. He had help from his teammates.
Bam Adebayo had a sensational game. He finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds. The Knicks, the third-best rebounding team in the league, got outrebounded 44-35 in Game 4. Kyle Lowry was on fire. He led the second unit with 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 26 minutes. He shot 4-of-6 from the field and hit 2 of his four 3-point attempts. Lowry is a winner. Whether starting or coming from the bench, he’s ready to play and gives all his efforts. This team and the organization love him. Lowry and Miami Heat are the perfect match. He won a championship in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors. He knows what it takes to win, and Miami Heat culture is about winning, especially right now.
Kevin Love has an arm of a quarterback. He’s looking like Dan Marino on the court, making outstanding passes in this series, such as Games 1 and 4. Miami’s bench has been tremendous in this series. They have outscored the Knicks bench 116 to 62. Rebounding, defense, making free throws, and bench points can help you with games. Miami is bringing all those tools in this series, and they’re making the Knicks scratch their heads. Head coach Erik Spoelstra is a great coach. He knows how to get his team ready to play every single night.
The series shifts back to New York for Game 5. The Knicks will try to stay away from elimination. Miami is looking to become the second No. 8 seed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals since the 1999 New York Knicks.