The Knicks will face the Miami Heat in the second round of the NBA playoffs
On Wednesday night, the New York Knicks clinched a first-round series win by defeating the Cleveland Cavalier in Game 5. And it didn’t take long for them to learn who they will be facing in the second round. It’s official: They will take on the Miami Heat, who dispatched the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of their own playoff series.
Once again, the Bucks choked late in the game, and Jimmy Butler sent it to overtime with a wild bucket with 0.5 seconds remaining. From there, the Bucks choked a bit more, and that was all she wrote.
This means a few things. First, the No. 5 seed Knicks now very improbably have home-court advantage in the next round. Games 1 and 2 will be at MSG. We saw how the Cavs handled the wild New York crowd, but these Heat are a tough, veteran bunch.
Second, this means an earlier start to the second round—tipping off Sunday, 1pm ET. That might be bad news for the Knicks, as Julius Randle left Game 5 with a sprained ankle. Will he be ready in time for Game 1? How are we doing this “Will Julius’ ankle be ready for Game 1” thing again?
We’ll keep y’all posted.
ECSF Schedule: No. 5 Knicks vs. No. 8 Heat
Game 1: Heat @ Knicks, Sunday, April 30, 1 p.m. ET
Game 2: Heat @ Knicks, Tuesday, May 2
Game 3: Knicks @ Heat, Saturday, May 6
Game 4: Knicks @ Heat, Monday, May 8
*Game 5: Heat @ Knicks, Wednesday, May 10
*Game 6: Knicks @ Heat, Friday, May 12
*Game 7: Heat @ Knicks, Monday, May 15
Source: Posting and Toasting
