The Knicks got this far this season on high energy and outhustling their opponents.
For most of their second round series against the Miami Heat, that has not been the case, but in Game 5 they turned things around.
While Jalen Brunson‘s near triple-double and playing the full 48 minutes led the Knicks to stave off elimination, one defensive stop in the fourth quarter by Quentin Grimes may have sealed it for New York.
With less than two minutes remaining in the game and the Knicks nursing a 107-101 lead, Grimes banged his knee on a screen that forced him to the ground. As play resumed, Grimes got back up to guard Jimmy ButlerMiami’s best player.
Not only did Grimes defend, but he stole the ball from Butler and gave possession back to the Knicks.
Although the Knicks would give the ball back on a five-second violation, the defensive play was the culmination of a quick turnaround by New York that stopped the Heat’s momentum.
“He did that the last game too,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of the play after the game. “His defensive activity off the ball is very good. He’s a terrific two-way player and you need those hustle plays. He’s going to give maximum effort on every play and we need our whole team to do that.”
Grimes played all 48 minutes alongside Brunson, and while he didn’t light up the scoreboard with points — he posted just eight points on 3-of-8 shooting — he was a plus-9 on the court and contributed a lot of different ways.
“Unbelievable. The things he brings to the game, a lot of it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes,” Brunson said of Grimes after the game. “When you have a guy like that on the court, you’re ready to do whatever for him out there. Nothing but respect for him and he needs to rest up so he can do it again.”
“It’s the playoffs. You gotta do whatever you can to win,” Grimes said of the game. “It’s what you’re built for, it’s what you watch as a kid. I was hurt a little bit but it’s not going to stop me from coming up with a steal or disrupt the play. You just have to fight through it and do whatever you can to help the team get a win.”
While Butler had 19 points, he didn’t take over the game like he’s done for most of the postseason and a big reason for that in Game 5 was the defense of Grimes.
“Just knowing I have that matchup every night to be more disciplined,” Grimes explained. “If I have to play 48 or 25 [minutes]I just have to lock in on [Butler] defensively and do whatever I can to slow him down.”
Thibodeau has used Grimes as the main defender of the opponent’s best scorer for the majority of the season, and after starting this series on the bench after a shoulder injury knocked him out of the first round, he started the last two.
And now that he’s a few games removed from being on the bench, the Knicks and Grimes hope he can be the starter that’s helped this team on both ends of the court. Game 5, for Grimes, was a good sign especially after hitting some threes and being able to stay on the court for as long as he did.
“I’m a rhythm player for sure. Just seeing the ball go through the hoop is good for anybody,” Grimes explained. “Just staying out there and getting a feel for the game, locking defensively, getting rebounds doing everything I can to build a rhythm. Just fighting through injuries. Everybody is nicked up, the Heat is nicked up. So there’s no excuses.”
The Knicks won’t look for excuses as they try and send the series back to MSG for a Game 7, but they’ll first have to win one in Miami on Friday first.