The New York Knicks (1-2) are aiming to reach .500 as they prepare to battle the Miami Heat (2-1) on Wednesday night. Getting a win against their tough Eastern Conference rivals will be no easy task, but three key factors could determine whether the Knicks come away with a win or a loss.
After the Knicks lost their third game of the season to the Cleveland Cavaliers, All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns came out and said a film review would be necessary to see how he and his teammates could maximize their production from three-point range. The Knicks are third-worst in the NBA in assists per game (20.3 APG) and fifth-worst as a team in three-pointers (10.7 3PM), yet they are shooting 37.6 percent from long range, which is eighth-best in the Association.
Something is off. It’s not talent. It’s not the early stage of the season and it’s not a lack of effort. The Knicks just aren’t flowing the way they need to be or need to be on offense.
New York will have to evaluate what’s been keeping them from exploding in the scoring department in order to fix a Heat team that is holding opponents to a paltry 41.7 percent from the field (No. 3 in the league) and 35.2 percent from deep (No. 11). They’ll have to be smart with their passing, as the Heat aren’t even allowing teams to help each other out, allowing the league’s second-lowest assist rate at 20.7 APG.