gwyv

The possibility of Madison Square Garden hosting a deciding Game 7 on Monday night is all anyone seems to want to talk about around here. It’s a big “if” and it’s all Knicks fans can think about leading up to the most highly anticipated basketball game for New York in over a decade. I was pretty low on the Knicks getting to this point in my last assessment. I stand by most of what I said. Pound for pound they may be as talented as the Heat but they don’t play like it a lot of the time. I think Spoelstra makes the difference tonight as the Knicks are gassed up and will likely play their best game of the series. Jimmy Butler has to go off like Jalen Brunson did in game 5 for the Heat to cover the -6.5 point spread tonight. As a bettor, I would take the Knicks +6.5 in this one as it is more than likely the Heat will not allow themselves to fall at home… but by how much? Giving 6.5 points to the Knicks is fair here.

These Game 6s have been difficult to handicap and are tending to play out much differently than what the odds have suggested. The likelihood of this one getting out of hand is about 50/50 in favor of the Heat. That being said, the Knicks have shown a resilience and a toughness that cannot be overlooked. Tonight is the game of their lives for every man on the team. They are not built to come from behind so look for a relentless offensive effort early. If Julius Randle can actually live up to his 3rd team All-NBA pedigree and put 25 points and 8 rebounds on the board then the rest will be up to the 3 point shooting of Quentin Grimes and RJ Barrett. This team is led by the best point guard New York has seen in decades and he will play this one to the best of his ability. Give Brunson 30 points and 6 assists, Mitchell Robinson 8 rebounds, and Grimes 10 points. Josh Hart also needs to be a factor tonight but he has become unreliable from a betting standpoint. Bam Adebayo has played very well and should be a lock for 15 points and 6 rebounds. Max Strus will be good for 10 points.

It’s put up or shut up time for the Knicks. Before the Heat turned up the temperature and knocked the antlers off the Bucks, most people would have taken the Knicks in this game. But there is a chance that Butler drops his recent facilitator role and ignites for 30+ points. The reality is, unlike the defending champ Golden State Warriors who can’t be counted on to lose until they actually lose, the Knicks are the inverse of that. This New York team hasn’t shown enough reasons to believe they can send this thing back to the Garden. The players on the Heat have hundreds of playoff games under their belt and they should find a way to end the series tonight in Miami.
Final score: Heat 109 – Knicks 104