1. Julius Randle to be atop his game
Aside from Game 1 against the Cavaliers and Game 2 against the Heat, Julius Randle has really struggled in the playoffs throughout his career. However, there may not be a matchup better for him to exploit than what the Heat have thrown at him thus far.
In Game 2, Bam Adebayo was the primary defender of Randle when the two were on the floor. While Adebayo did a solid enough job of guarding Randle, having a center defend a perimeter player really opens up the floor and is something Randle took advantage of as he dished out eight assists.
This is what the Knicks need out of Randle the most. He may not have a genuinely great scoring game this series due to having an elite defender on him, but at the very least he must exploit whatever matchup is thrown at him.
We all know what Randle is capable of as a playmaker. While he hasn’t needed to show it off this season due to the addition of Jalen Brunson, he must take this advantage of this ability against the Heat. Having a floor-spacing power forward who can also be a game-changer isn’t exactly common and is something opposing teams have problems adjusting to.
If Randle can slow things down offensively and make the correct play consistently, then the Knicks could very well dominate Game 3 regardless if Butler is playing or not.
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