I don’t like repeating Dylan on these things, but, well, I don’t think I can help it, as this one is just far too apropos.
When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You’re invisible now, you’ve got no secrets to conceal
How does it feel, ah how does it feel?
To be on your own, with no direction home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone
On Wednesday night, the Knicks played as if they had nothing to lose, and they threw everything at the Heat, with Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes both playing all 48 minutes of a big Knicks win. The Heat, meanwhile, did play Jimmy Butler 42 minutes, but they were 42 wobbly minutes (as Early Bird correctly noted, Butler was blocked four times during the game – that’s weird). The Heat otherwise spread its minutes around, and pretty much looked like shit once they cut the lead down to 4 with five or so minutes left, and only some odd turnovers by the Knicks kept the Heat in the game from that point forward (and Spo tried some stupid gimmick shit with Hack-a-Mitch, which Mitch foiled by making 3-4 of his free throws during that stretch. Gee, big fella, if concentrating on your free throws seems to help, maybe do that every time you shoot free throws, okay?).
The Knicks have to do that again tonight, just throw everything they have at the Heat. If Brunson and Grimes have to play the full game again, then whatever, they have to play the full game again. Do whatever it takes. The Heat have to be feeling the pressure. Push up that pressure as much as you can. Don’t let Jimmy Butler beat you (unless Butler plays like he did in Game 5, of course, then you can let him try). Force their other players to come up big. Kevin Love couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. Make him beat you. Make Spo give Duncan fucking Robinson more minutes. Outwork them again like the Knicks did in Game 5. You ain’t got nothing, Knicks, so you have nothing to lose. Turn up the heat on the Heat.
It won’t matter, as the Heat will obviously win, but hey, imagine if they don’t (they will)? It would be great (it won’t happen…but what if it does? It won’t, but what if? No what if, as they won’t. But maybe? But nope), and we would all feel great (but we won’t).
Even though they are doomed, here’s a perfunctory Let’s Go, Knicks!