Preview: Knicks vs Heat March 22

Miami and New York are set to face off in a game that could instrumental in either team not having to participate in the play-in tournament. Let's take a look at how they have gotten into such a position, what they need to do moving forward, and what a win here would mean for either team.

Heading into the end of the regular season, there are a handful of teams that lie directly between a draft lottery status and legitimate championship aspirations. For a long time, these teams were known to be in ‘no man’s land’, but the recent change to the postseason format means that seeds 7-10 can still fight to keep the season alive. 

There are even fewer teams, however, that race to get out of even the play-in tournament. In the postseason, where endurance and stamina is somewhat of a currency, each and every team will take whichever chance at an extra day's rest that they can get. We see a matchup between two teams in this precise position in tonight’s game between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks.

With the Heat currently sitting at the 7th seed, their eyes are predictably set on overtaking the 6th-seeded Brooklyn Nets for the last guaranteed spot in the playoffs. That said, they are only 3 games behind the Knicks, setting heavy implications for the game as far as escaping the play-in tournament goes. 

Both teams have hit a good, but not satisfactory given the time of year, stretch of games, going 6-4 in their last 10. On the Knicks’ side of things, recent struggles might be attributed to the injury-related absences that Jalen Brunson has had from the floor recently. Throughout the season, the Knicks have gone 5-4 without Brunson on the floor and hold a track record that is hard to pull a definitive conclusion from as far as reliable production goes. Since the new year, Brunson has been playing like an All-NBA player, posting 28/4/6 splits on 51% FG and 45% 3PFG. Having him as a new addition, alongside an established coach in Tom Thibadeau, a talented rotational squad, and  the isolation scoring/playmaking prowess of Julius Randle has pushed the Knicks to heights that haven't been seen in years.

The Heat are admittedly under a bit more pressure this time of year, and though it is hard to speculate whether or not this will have an effect on how they close out the season, the players would surely prefer avoiding the play-in tournament if it means a few day’s rest. Miami’s team has built a culture of tenacious, hard-nosed defense being the baseline route for winning games. Though their 9th-ranked defensive rating has meant that side of the ball has maintained some success, it seems that at times Miami hasn’t built an offensive identity that allows all players on the court to play to their full potential. Perhaps this will change once the squad has better integrated new signing Kevin Love into the game plan. All said, Miami doesn’t have much time to do much other than win games if they want to keep the play-in tournament behind them.

Based on what has been seen in the regular season (an important preface, seeing as the term “Playoff Jimmy” has caught fire within the past few years), I would put tonight’s game, and a subsequent 7-game series, in favor of New York.