It's hard to get too excited about the Knicks right now, considering that they just pounded 105-86 in Game 3 by the Miami Heat and all. Down 2-1 to the Heat, the Knicks are bootless and toothless. Their offense stinks; their defense has no answers for Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo or even Kyle Lowry. Things are looking dire. Whereas the Knicks looked like a dark horse Finals contender in their five game annihilation of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening round of the playoffs, they look hopelessly out of their depth against the Heat. Despite being the higher seed and having home court advantage in the series, the Knicks lack the Heat's poise and discipline. Still, hope isn't lose—the Knicks were the best team in the NBA over the last 25 games for a reason. Here are the adjustments the Knicks must make to beat the Heat in Game 4 and beyond.

1. Restore the original starting lineup

In the regular season, the Knicks starting lineup was one of the most effective and frequently used five-man units in the entire league; in the 1,061 possessions where the Knicks played Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, New York has outscored teams by seven points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. In the playoffs, though, Thibodeau elevated Josh Hart to the starting five when Grimes injured his shoulder against the Cavs and has stuck with the change even after Grimes recovered. While Josh Hart is a very good player and deserves to play heavy minutes for the Knicks, his presence in the starting lineup makes their offense needlessly congested and cramped. With Hart, Barrett and Robinson on the court at the same time, the Knicks have three players who opposing defenses can help off of with impunity. Hart is a reluctant shooter, Barrett is a bad one, and Robinson has taken a grand total of two shots this year from beyond 10 feet.

By returning Hart to the bench, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau could effectively solve two of the Knicks' biggest issues in the playoffs with one fell swoop. Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle would have more room to breathe with Quentin Grimes commanding respect and attention as a shooter; the bench would receive a jolt of energy and rim pressure with Hart flanking the slumping Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin.

2. Pass the ball

The Knicks built the fourth-best offense in NBA history through brute force. Whereas most great offenses rely on some alloy of elite talent, artful ball movement and deadeye perimeter shooting, the Knicks scored 117.8 points per 100 possessions because of their doggedness. They passed just enough to keep defenses honest, but the bulk of their offense was generated by Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson conjuring moments of individual brilliance to beat their man. To wit, the Knicks won the possession battle, controlling the offensive glass and limiting turnovers to compensate for their shaky three-point shooting. The Knicks outscored you by outshooting you, building a healthy cushion of extra shots over the course of the game.

Against the Heat (and in the playoffs in general, really), the Knicks' offense has fallen into disrepair. Their 48.1 percent effective field goal percentage and 106.6 offensive rating would both be the worst marks in the NBA over the course of a full season by a large margin. Heading into Game 4, Heat have had an answer for every blunt-force attack the Knicks try to mount; Bam Adebayo is stonewalling Julius Randle; Jimmy Butler makes it hard for RJ Barrett to even dribble; the Heat's collective size and has turned Jalen Brunson into a one-dimensional iso scorer, unable to see or complete kick out passes.

As such, the Knicks need to reimagine their entire offense if they hope to win Game 4 and steal back home court advantage—after averaging 273.5 passes per game in the regular season, they're down to a piddling 242.1 in the playoffs. Similarly, they're shooting a piddling 27.2 percent on threes (most of them wide open looks) since their offense can only reliably generate shots for the players the Heat are allowing to bomb away. Unless the Knicks' bad shooters suddenly become good ones, they need to rejigger their offense to include more ball and player movement.

 3. Play with more discipline

The Knicks weren't necessarily more talented than the Cavs, but they routed them in the first round anyways because they out-executed their starrier opponent. In the second round, the exact opposite has been the case. Although the Knicks putatively have a deeper and more pedigreed roster than Miami, the Heat have played with more sharpness and precision. In an uncharacteristic and unwelcome development, the Knicks haven't played with any urgency. Julius Randle, the team's emotional core, has looked unengaged, frequently pleading with refs rather than running back on defense. Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin seem paralyzed by uncertainty, unable to rev up the pace like they did in the regular season. At this late juncture in the season, this kind of effort is unacceptable and the Knicks have paid the price.