“Miami Heat aims for Eastern Conference Finals with crucial win in Capital Game against New York Knicks”

Capital game tonight in Miami. After securing the blow in Game 3, the Heat must confirm their (very) great form in these 2023 Playoffs, after recovering home advantage in New York. In case of victory tonight at home, Jimmy Butler and his gang would take a very big option on the Conference Finals.

Remember. Miami had lost its first play-in meeting against… Atlanta. Since then, two small defeats in the Playoffs and here is Miami two games away from the Eastern Conference finals. A impressive career, and a team carried by a totally unplayable Jimmy Butler on this campaign. A magnificent upset against the Bucks, a mastery of bosses against the Knicks, and South Beach therefore leads 2-1 against New York and could confirm the advantage of the field tonight gleaned from Madison Square Garden in Game 2. An unexpected but no less deserved course as Miami has shown consistency and solidity for three weeks.

Opposite, New York is a bit lost and has been impaled against the Florida wall for two games. 86 small points in Game 3 and a powerlessness to make all the quarantined in their lack of confidence pale, and the last two meetings have above all highlighted certain collective shortcomings on the side of the Big Apple. Jalen Brunson struggles but starts picking, and around…not much. Julius Randle who returns from injury is still a little sideways (10 points in the last meeting at 4/13 in shooting), RJ Barrett continues to blow hot and cold and the reduced bench of the Knicks does not have the expected contribution. In short, it will take a big collective performance tonight so that the Knicks do not find themselves (already) in danger in this series. The Heat’s defense wears out and tires New York, which has already battled a lot in these Playoffs, especially against the Cavs where the intensity of the five games is starting to pay off, while in Miami it almost seems… to unfold and we even allow ourselves to do out of the woodwork unexpected X factors like Max Strus for example. Bam Adebayo is doing a monster job in the paint and Kevin Love as a good dad drives all these beautiful people towards the conference finals.

Tonight’s game is therefore decisive for the rest of the series. Will we witness a return of the Knicks to 2-2 with the advantage of the field again for NYC… or an almost definitive break for the Heat in front of the botoxed public of South Beach? See you tonight at 1:30 a.m. to find out, with dark circles but with a smile.