They must come with hearts – and offense – afire.
There is no other way for the Knicks to approach tonight’s pivotal Game 3 at the Garden against the hated Heat. After winning the first game convincingly in Miami, then sludging through an 83-73 loss Monday, the Knicks face the biggest game of their season tonight with the best-of-five series to 1-1.
They are ready to rumble.
“I would expect it to be a very emotional game, an intense game, fighting for control of the series,” Knick coach Jeff Van Gundy said yesterday in Purchase, after a light workout by the Knicks. “There are not a lot of surprises right now.”
There is one.
Van Gundy needs to know which Knicks are going to show up – the unselfish, “pass the ball to the open man” Knicks who shot 53 percent in Game 1 and won by 20, or the offensively challenged Knicks who were whacked in Game 2 because they hesitated on shots and passes and wound up shooting 39 percent.
The Knicks had 18 assists in Game 1. In Game 2, they had 11 – or as many as Tim Hardaway by himself. Enough said.
“Hesitancy in this series kills,” Van Gundy said. “You have to make quick decisions, shoot it, pass it or drive it.”
There might be another surprise. When asked if Patrick Ewing would play today, Van Gundy said, “I don’t know.” Another game-time decision for Ewing and his ailing Achilles.
Latrell Sprewell said he is up for the challenge after a foul-plagued Game 2. Sprewell can’t wait to get the Knick fans going, for he says there is no energy like Garden energy, a force field of its own that the first-year Knick can feel roll through the building. He is ready to make a statement.
“The biggest thing I can do is try to have a good game,” said Sprewell, who played only 25 minutes Monday because of three offensive fouls.
“I seem to bond well with the fans here. These fans are the best. If I can make plays or do a steal and a dunk, something to connect with fans and bring that energy, that is going to carry over to the rest of the guys. That’s what we need, so I’ll be looking to do that.”
Sprewell said he actually can feel the energy from the fans come into his body.
“Definitely,” he said. “Without a doubt.”
That energy has to be harnessed.
“We’re going to have to work hard to get good shots,” Van Gundy said. “The formula for us winning in this series is to not give up 50 percent field-goal defense, get out-rebounded by three and shoot 39 percent.”
That’s what happened in Game 2.
“And we have to defend with a passion that you have to bring to a game,” he added. “The only answer to stop a good offensive player is intensity, passion and technique. We’re going to have to do that a little bit better.”
When someone reminded Van Gundy that the other day he said words like “intensity and passion” are buzz words and that the difference between the first two games was that the Heat simply shot better in Game 2 while the Knicks shot poorly, Van Gundy pleaded, “You guys can catch me all the time. Sometimes I use those cliches to my advantage, sometimes I say they’re BS.”
Cliches or not, the Knicks have got to bring it tonight. If they lose Game 3, winning two straight against the Heat, including a duplication of last year’s Game 5 victory in Miami, figures to be too much of a burden.
The burden will be on Allan Houston to get off to a good start tonight. He was 5-for-5 in the Game 1 win in the first quarter and 1-for-6 in the first quarter of the Game 2 loss, with Thunder Dan Majerle in his jock. Van Gundy has no doubts the ailing Majerle will play.
“A separated shoulder for him is a minor injury,” he said. “That guy is probably one of the toughest guys to ever play in the NBA. He could have retired and taken disability. I’m serious, with his back.”
As for physical play, Van Gundy said, these Knicks have their limits.
“We’re not really a physical team in that way,” he said. “We didn’t make many contact plays [in Game 2]. We have to respond better than we did [Saturday]. We’ve got to be a team that makes multiple efforts per possession.”
So it’s back to basics for the Knicks.
“We have to hit the open man,” Van Gundy noted. The Knicks must get more from backup point guard Chris Childs, too. Childs was 0-for-5 with only one assist in 22 minutes in Game 2.
The Knicks only made 29 percent of their 3-point shots in Game 2 after canning 50 percent of their threes in Game 1. Larry Johnson made three of four in Game 1 but missed five of six in the second game. It’s all part of the equation.
“At the start of the game we are going to have to play with an intensity level that is going to carry you for 48 minutes,” Van Gundy added.
Intensity. That’s what this series is all about.