The New York Knicks head to South Beach for Game 3 against the Miami Heat Saturday with the series tied 1-1. Jimmy Butler meanwhile missed Game 2 due to an ankle injury and it's still unknown if he'll play this weekend or not. Regardless, Tom Thibodeau is already preparing for the possibility of the Heat star suiting up, which obviously creates challenges for the Knicks defensively.
Via AP Sports:
“You already know the answer to that,” Thibodeau said. “We will. That’s sort of the nature of the beast right now for everyone. You go in, you know guys are nicked-up this time of the year and so there’s always possibilities that guys could be in or out. … If Jimmy’s available, then we’ll have a plan for him.”
Butler has been the talk of these NBA Playoffs. He's averaging 35.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per night in six games and even erupted for 56 as Miami upset the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. The veteran scored 25 in the series opener as well and finished out the game despite rolling his right ankle.
If the Knicks can stop Butler (when he does play), they have a legitimate chance of advancing. After all, he is the driving force behind Erik Spoelstra's offense and is basically the reason they're even at this point.
Erik Spoelstra said Thursday that he's still unsure if Jimmy Buckets will play Saturday. It really won't matter to the Knicks though, who will be doing everything imaginable to take at least one game on the road. Their mindset is the same: Win.
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