MIAMI — The Knicks are aiming to increase their three-point attempts.
This strategy aligns with the “pace and space” philosophy being implemented by their new head coach, Mike Brown, who has taken over from Tom Thibodeau. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has identified this as a significant shift from the Knicks’ previous approach.
“There are some schematic changes, like playing at a quicker pace, but they’re a well-coached team,” Spoelstra commented before Sunday’s game. “They have experienced players, they’ve had a lot of success, including in the playoffs. You have to respect that, but not too much.”
In their season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks attempted 40 three-pointers and upped that number to 45 in their subsequent game against the Boston Celtics. By halftime against the Miami Heat on Sunday, they had already launched 28 threes and had tallied up to 42 by the start of the fourth quarter.
However, the nature of high-volume three-point shooting can be double-edged. A successful barrage can overwhelm opponents, but frequent misses can lead to problems, as the Knicks discovered on Sunday.
The team managed to create open shots throughout the game, adhering to Brown’s tactic of attacking the paint and kicking out to the perimeter when defenders converge. Unfortunately, their shooting was as cold as the temperature inside the Kaseya Center for their third game of the season. This allowed the Heat to capitalize on fast breaks repeatedly, ultimately securing a 115-107 win and handing the Knicks their first defeat of the season.
Maybe South Beach and its attractions were to blame. Brown chastised Knicks beat reporters for getting to Miami early instead of attending practice in Tarrytown Saturday morning — but the Knicks played like they were the ones in a rush to get to South Florida, seeing two or three rims on every attempt from downtown on Sunday.
The three-point shot made all the difference. So did Miles McBride, whose efficiency from deep and penchant for guarding the point of attack were sorely missed as he was absent from the first leg of the Knicks’ three-game road trip due to personal reasons.
The Knicks were also without Mitchell Robinson, who continues to be load managed and hasn’t seen the court since Oct. 9. Robinson is an important piece to New York’s defense, a rim protector, dominant rebounder and natural fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns. Without him, the Knicks’ defense changes drastically, if not by scheme then by virtue: Ariel Hukporti got the start in place of Robinson but struggled and only played 10 minutes.
“It’s about next man up and whoever goes down, with the versatility of this team, we’re able to plug people in at any given time, and we’re not gonna change what we do just because somebody’s out or down or whatever,” Brown said ahead of tipoff on Sunday. “We’re gonna keep doing what we do, and we’re gonna try to get really, really good at it so that we can impose our will on our opponents as opposed to the other way and we’re trying to chase everything they do.”
Jalen Brunson finished with a game-high 37 points on 14-of-26 shooting from the field, and Mikal Bridges added 20 more points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting from downtown. But the Knicks shot 15-of-54, or 27.8 percent, from deep as a team, and the Heat shut the door on a last second rally late in the fourth quarter, poetically through a contested transition three from Andrew Wiggins who helped swing momentum back in Miami’s favor in crunch time.
And without McBride, the Knicks’ bench mustered just 21 points — right on pace with their average from last season — to 44 from the Heat.
Norman Powell scored 29 points for Miami, and Bam Adebayo added 19 points and 13 rebounds, as the Heat shot 13-of-37 from downtown. Two fewer makes than New York on nearly 20 fewer attempts.
The Knicks will attempt to right their wrongs in Milwaukee next. They face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on Tuesday before completing their three-game road trip in Chicago against the Bulls.
