Knicks Denied by The 305; Season Ends in Miami Despite Brunson’s 41
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When it comes to the culprit behind killing off the New York Knicks’ 2022-23 season, one can accurately declare that The Butler did it … though he had some help along the way.
The Knicks’ magic season came to an end on Friday night, as the Miami Heat clinched their third Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the past four seasons with a 96-92 victory in Game 6 to close out round two.
Going for naught on the New York side was a 39-point performance for Jalen Brunson, whose gutsy postseason effort and dominant first year on a $104 million contract ended in heartbreak: with a flagrant one foul called on Gabe Vincent for swiping Brunson in the face, New York had a chance to win, but Brunson’s desperate to force the ball under the rim to Josh Hart was deflected and intercepted by Kyle Lowry, allowing Jimmy Butler to go to the line for the sealing free throws.
Despite this, Brunson nonetheless made blue-and-orange playoff history, becoming just the fourth New Yorker to score at least 30 points in three consecutive contests, joining Bernard King (twice), Carmelo Anthony, and Patrick Ewing.
Another strong closeout for Butler, who scored 15 of his 24 points in the second half, united with standout performances for starter Bam Adebayo (23 points, 9 rebounds) and reserve Lowry (11 points. 9 assists, 3 steals) to not only afford the Heat another trip to the final four but also a tie in the infamous postseason rivalry between Manhattan and South Beach.
Miami now awaits the winner of Sunday’s seventh and final game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers for a chance to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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