Tensions were high between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as Julius Randle was shoved by Cody Zeller. Both teams got a little chippy, per ClutchPoints (originally Erik Savage).
The postseason comes with extra physicality, but sometimes that means boiling tension among players. Randle and Zeller were both grabbing at each other near the end of the third quarter. Things escalated a bit, forcing the officials to intervene. Players from both teams still managed to get involved. Miami's Zeller and Caleb Martin along with Knicks big man Isaiah Hartenstein were all given technical fouls for their part in the fracas.
Things getting chippy in Game 3 of Knicks-Heat as Cody Zeller and Julius Randle get into it đź‘€pic.twitter.com/UmOvDTM16T
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 6, 2023
After the smoke cleared, New York was still staring down a blowout in the Kaseya Center, falling 105-86. The Heat now have a 2-1 lead and home-court advantage. Randle and company were dreadful from the field, shooting 34 percent and 20 percent from 3-point range. A returning Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 28 points but had plenty of help from Bam Adebayo and Max Strus.
The Knickerbockers will likely still be steamed after this one. Perhaps taking the aggression from the brief scuffle and bringing it to Game 4 will give them the edge they have been lacking much of this series. They have the ability to match the Heat's physicality, but shots will also need to drop for momentum to dramatically change.
Regardless, fans from both sides should be pumped up to see this 1990s rivalry fully renewed. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau does not look like much of a knee grabber, so that's also good news for everyone.
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