With a single fourth-quarter sequence, the smashmouth Eastern Conference series that kept being framed from a 1990s perspective suddenly looked a whole lot like one straight out of 2023. And it was because of yet another star player injury that threatens to turn the tide.
With just over five minutes to go in Game 1 Sunday between the Heat and Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Miami star Jimmy Butler drove to his right and rose for a shot as he drew contact from New York swingman Josh Hart. Hart inadvertently kicked his foot into Butler’s right foot, prompting him to roll his ankle and writhe in pain as soon as the play concluded.
Butler somehow toughed it out and remained in the game. But the fourth-quarter closer largely stood in the opposite corner, far away from the action, as 37-year-old Kyle Lowry ran the offense instead.
