Knicks can't match Heat intensity in Game 3, now move on to pivotal Game 4

Everywhere you looked at the Kaseya Center on Saturday, you saw orange and blue jerseys. There were Jalen Brunson jerseys, RJ Barrett jerseys, Julius Randle jerseys. You saw some John Starks jerseys and Patrick Ewing jerseys.

As is usually the case, Knicks fans made up a significant portion of the 19,927 on hand in Miami. But they didn’t have much to celebrate during the game.

The Knick fan in Miami on Saturday was muted by a dominating wire-to-wire performance from the Heat.

Jimmy Butler scored eight points in the first six minutes and Miami established an early 11-point lead. The Knicks didn’t match the Heat’s energy early in the first quarter – or at almost any point thereafter.

Miami led by as many as 22 in a Game 3 win and have forced New York into a must-win situation Monday in Game 4.

Entering these playoffs, only 13 of the 277 teams to fall behind 3-1 in a series have come back to win it. That’s just 4.7 percent. The team that wins Game 3 of a series tied 1-1 has won that series 73.3 percent of the time (189-69).

So the Knicks face tough odds after an ugly performance in Game 3.

Here are a few things they need to clean up in order to turn the series around:

OUTSIDE SHOOTING:

The Knicks had their worst offensive showing of the postseason on Saturday. They set playoff lows for points (86), field goal percentage (34.1 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (20.0 percent).

They missed 32 of their 40 three-point attempts. The Heat again forced New York to settle for perimeter shots. It’s been a winning strategy so far. The Knicks missed their first 15 field-goal attempts outside of the paint.

The starters finished a combined 23-for-65 from the floor and hit just four of their 23 three-point attempts.

“We got to work on getting easier shots, pushing the pace, trusting each other, making sure we’re getting good shots,” Josh Hart said after the loss.

The Knicks were 7-for-34 from behind the arc in their Game 1 loss. Afterward, many Knicks felt that the team just missed makable shots. That didn’t seem to be the case in Game 3. The Heat challenged shots well and did a good job rotating when necessary.

“They’re a very paint-heavy team when you drive the ball, they’re going to collapse,” Brunson said. “There’s a lot of eyes on me when I drive the ball, so I have to be able to find guys and get them in the right positions to take their shots. It starts with me, and I know I’ve said this before, I got to be better.”

EFFORT:

Several Knicks cited a lack of effort early in Game 3 as a factor in their loss.

“I think we just didn’t come out physical, come out communicating, felt like we were a step slow on everything -- diving on loose balls, being early on the help side, we were a step late,” Isaiah Hartenstein said. “And offensively we just didn’t move the ball. So it’s hard to win like that.”

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra credited his team for beginning the game with a winning "disposition" that "set the tone" early in Game 3.

“First quarter, disposition was more important than the schematics, or strategy or whatever,” Spoelstra said.

Hartenstein suggested that New York couldn’t match Miami’s energy for much of the afternoon.

“We just weren’t locked in on certain moments,” Hartenstein said. “They got all the 50-50 balls, they were always there on rotation and I think we were always a step slow. We’ll have to watch film and go from there.”

REST AND RECOVER:

Another Knick suffered an ankle injury on Saturday. Immanuel Quickley was down and in pain after his ankle was caught under a diving Bam Adebayo.

After the game, Quickley said his ankle felt "a little sore" and that it "hurt a lot" in the moment. Quickley will likely get testing on Sunday to determine the severity of the injury.

The Knicks were already dealing with ankle injuries to Randle and Brunson. Both were questionable leading into Game 2 due to the injuries. But they played in the Knicks’ win in Game 2 and played on Saturday. Brunson appeared to be hobbled late in the game. But he said afterward that he felt fine and would play in Game 4. Randle wouldn’t address the status of his ankle.

“You all keep asking me. It does not matter. I’ll be available to play,” he said. “I get myself ready. In my mind, it’s not a factor. I’ve got to find a way to play better and get a win.”

Brunson, Randle and Barrett combined to score 79 points in Game 2, but the trio combined to score just 44 points in Game 3 on 31.4 percent shooting.