MIAMI — The first two games of this series have come with asterisks attached to them.
The Knicks were without their lone All-Star, Julius Randle, in Game 1.
The Heat didn’t have the postseason’s leading scorer, Jimmy Butler, two days later.
Predictably, the shorthanded team lost each contest.
Saturday afternoon in South Beach, both teams are expected to be at full strength for a pivotal Game 3.
The winner will gain control of the series and the loser will face a virtual must-win scenario in the ensuing meeting Monday night.
“It’s a very important game. I don’t know how else to explain it,” Jalen Brunson said after practice on Friday, before the Knicks flew south. “We have to do what we have to do. They’re going to be ready, we’re going to be ready.”
Both Randle and Brunson were game-time decisions on Tuesday with ankle injuries, yet both not only started but played well.
Neither player was listed on the injury report on Friday, an encouraging sign.
Butler didn’t suit up in Game 2 after suffering a sprained right ankle in the fourth quarter of the series opener.
But Butler practiced on Friday and is expected to play, though he is listed as questionable for Game 3.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
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- Knicks battle but fall in season-ending Game 6 loss to Heat
- Knicks couldn’t survive two minutes without Brunson
- Brunson’s heroic night spoiled by late turnover
In many ways, the injuries to the stars have created uncertainty.
The two sides are very much still feeling one another out.
Obviously, the Knicks are different with Randle and the Heat are not the same without Butler.
The fact both teams were very much in each game despite those key absences shows the margin of error in this series is miniscule.
There is an element of mystery involved as well, which will begin to change on Saturday.
“At some point, I believe everybody will be playing and you will get to see the real matchup,” RJ Barrett said.
There was some concern with Brunson when he was limited in practice on Thursday, but he took part in the majority of Friday’s workout and said his right ankle is feeling “good.”
It clearly was limiting him in the first half of Game 2, when he missed five of six shots.
The Knicks point guard, though, responded with a monster second half, scoring 23 of his 30 points to ensure his team would head out on the road even.
“I definitely wasn’t feeling [like] myself, but I kind of looked at the whole situation, I’m out there, I’m playing, just give it everything you got. Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Brunson said. “The one thing that my dad [assistant coach Rick Brunson] told me is, ‘You’re out there, so just go.’ I had to change my mindset a little bit and stop feeling sorry for myself.”
He declined to offer a percentage the ankle is at, but did offer an update: “I would say I’m ready to go.”
Even without Butler, the Heat nearly won on Tuesday, leading by six with 7:06 remaining before getting outscored by 12 the rest of the way.
The Knicks did the little things well, out-rebounding the Heat by 16 and turning 11 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points.
They had four offensive rebounds, three by Isaiah Hartenstein, in one extended possession that lasted 1:07 and led to a game-tying Josh Hart 3-pointer with 4:45 remaining.
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In Game 1, Miami beat the Knicks to most of the 50/50 balls, hustle plays that were crucial in deciding the contest.
The biggest one came with 4:33 left, when Kyle Lowry stripped Mitchell Robinson as he came down with a defensive rebound and directly led to a Gabe Vincent 3-pointer that extended the lead to six.
“When you look at all these games, they’re hard-fought battles. Oftentimes it comes down to that, it comes down to the hustle plays,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “What are you getting off loose balls, offensive rebounds or turnovers and that sort of thing? Sometimes it’s just deflections that can get you in the open floor and get an easy basket. That’s oftentimes the difference between winning and losing. The more of those you can make happen, obviously that enhances your chances of winning.”