Getty Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler celebrates during Game 4 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks.
If one were looking for a specific contest to label as the ultimate example of an ugly basketball game in the modern NBA, Game 3 between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks over the weekend would be a strong candidate. However, the final frame of Game 4 on Monday might be the ugliest 12-minute stretch of hoops you’ll ever see.
With the Heat seeking to take commanding 3-1 series lead and the Knicks desperate just to stay in the fight, the game somehow devolved into full-on attrition warfare.
The teams shot a combined 12-of-40 from the floor during the fourth quarter for an overall conversion rate of 30.0% and 16 of the 17 three-pointers that were attempted missed the mark. Meanwhile, the action was brought to a screeching halt time and time again thanks to 14 foul calls.
Despite the incredible downturn, though — particularly for the Heat’s offense — Jimmy Butler and Co. managed to hang on for a 109-101 win; a result that was largely secured on the back of an energetic late-game effort on the offensive glass.
Caleb Martin & the Heat Outhustle the Knicks in the Fourth Quarter to Lock Down Game 4 Win
Miami finished with a 44-35 rebounding edge for the night, but it was the 17-8 advantage in quarter No. 4 that allowed the Heat to maintain a multi-possession lead when their shots stopped falling. In particular, a 7-1 spread on the offensive glass gave Erik Spoelstra‘s club the extra chances it needed to hang tough.
“I think our guys have wrapped their minds around [the fact that] that’s what this series is,” Spoelstra said of the effort. “You’re just going to have to to make these plays in the trenches.”
Caleb Martin set the tone on the offensive glass, collecting three O-REBs in the period on his own (Butler and Kyle Lowry grabbed two apiece). And the overall effort down the stretch pushed the Heat to a 10-point differential in second-chance scoring.
“Is that the game plan in the fourth quarter? To get, whatever, four extra possessions? I can’t say that that was, but you just have to find different solutions knowing that there’s going to be big challenges,” Spoelstra said. “You’re just going to have to make effort plays … and we were able to do that tonight.”
Knicks Star Julius Randle Makes Damning Confession About Offensive Rebounding Disparity
The Heat have now secured 26 offensive rebounds over the last two games, which has been a key factor in the shorthanded club’s ability to hang with a Knicks team that was seemingly better-equipped to score the basketball entering the series.
In that respect, the Knicks have actually been given a taste of their own medicine — as of this writing, they’ve collected a playoff-best 35.8% of available rebounds offensively.
For his part, Knicks star Julius Randle has been taken aback by the sudden shift in that department, telling reporters: “Maybe they want it more. I don’t know. That’s who we’ve been all year and we’ve gotta find a way to step up and make those plays if we want to keep this season alive.”