NY Knicks: 3 teams who could pass them in the standings
By Adam Kester
NY Knicks: 3 teams who could surpass them — The Miami Heat
It seemed like the only narratives that surrounded the Miami Heat last season were what was going wrong. Constant injuries, COVID cases, and lackluster performances, and yet, they still finished as the 6th seed and just a single game behind the Knicks.
That’s right, had the Miami Heat one just one more game last season, they would have taken the 4th seed from NY. They had the tie-breaker in head-to-head record, they were 3-0 against the Knicks in the regular season.
The Goran Dragic struggling to stay healthy last season, the Heat struggled with their offensive creation. They addressed their backcourt issues by signing veteran guard Kyle Lowry.
They’re trying to capture the same magic they had 2 seasons ago when they went to the NBA Finals. With the roster, they’ve constructed this offseason, that could be attainable.
The Heat are similar to the Knicks in their slow and rugged playstyle. The firepower of having Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, and Victor Oladipo along the perimeter is a ton of diverse offensive talent. Then there’s the prized big-man Bam Adebayo in the middle.
This is a team that re-tooled in the offseason and is very much in win-now mode.
The Miami Heat are going to be a hurdle for the Knicks. It seemed like every time the two teams played last season, NY was in the games but just couldn’t close them.
Finishing just one game behind New York last season, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Heat were able to place themselves ahead of the Knicks in the standings in 2022.