Knicks 'frustrated' by three-point shooting woes in Game 1 loss to Heat
The Knicks dominated in the paint on Sunday afternoon, outscoring the Miami Heat 62-38 down low. But when they needed to hit a big three-pointer, they couldn’t seem to buy a shot from beyond the arc. As a result, their 12-point halftime lead eventually turned into a 108-101 loss in Game 1.
As a team, the Knicks shot just 7-of-34 (20.6 percent) from three-point range, while Miami knocked down 13 of their 39 threes (33.3 percent). And while the Heat allowed the Knicks to drive to the basket almost at while in the first half, they eventually clamped down on drivers and were willing to let the Knicks beat them from three.
That adjustment proved to be a game-changer.
“The game tells you what to do,” Tom Thibodeau said afterward. “So, if you’re open you’ve gotta let it go. They’re gonna collapse and we’ve got to make the right reads. And that’s it.”
“They made 13 threes and we made seven,” said RJ Barrett, who was 1-of-5 from three. “That’s a big gap, especially in a playoff game. Just get in the gym, come back, make shots, and we’ll be alright.”
The Knicks were outscored by 18 points from beyond the arc, but cold shooting isn’t something that the players inside the locker room believe will carry over into the rest of the series.
“I think we did a hell of a job playing tough, playing physical,” said Josh Hart, 0-of-4 from long distance. “We didn’t make shots and we still gave ourselves a shot to win late in the fourth. So, we know that, we’re frustrated with that, but that’s something that we can change.”
“Three-ball didn't fall for us today, but we got another game coming up Tuesday, feel like it’s gonna fall for us then,” said Obi Toppin, who took a team-high 11 threes but made just four. “We just gotta go back, look at the film and be ready for the next game.”
Losing Game 1 at home undoubtedly stings, especially considering that the Knicks led by at many as 12 points in the first half. But at the end of the day, there’s still a long way to go in the series, with New York having a chance to even things up on Tuesday night at The Garden.
“Sure, they made adjustments. I think they picked up the intensity a little bit, played hard, they made shots and we didn’t,” Barrett said. “Like I said, from watching their series and just playing them throughout the course of the year, they’re never going to give up. That’s one thing that I personally enjoy about this series, is that it’s going to be hard-fought, it’s going to be tough. You have to go out there and kind of take it.”
