Can the Knicks please start making open three-pointers?

I’ll get straight to the point, the New York Knicks are being dared to shoot open shots and rewarding the Miami Heat by missing them.

Here are the numbers from games 1-3 of this series when the Knicks have had 4-6 feet of open space and 6+ feet to shoot from deep (According to NBA.com)

Game 1: 2/15 (13.3%)

Game 2: 7/19 (36.8%)

Game 3: 2/19 (10.5%)

Miami has been giving them space to shoot and they aren’t converting. Going 11/53 (20.8%) on open threes is not going to get it done. The Heat are shooting 3.3/13 (25.6%) with 4-6 feet of open space. Miami also shooting poorly just makes it more frustrating that the Knicks can’t get it together from deep.

Even with 6+ feet of open space, the Knicks are hitting just 6.3/17.3 (36.5%) three-point attempts in this series. This is compared to Miami who is hitting 6.3/14.3 (44.2%) attempts from that same 6+ feet of open freedom. If teams are going to give you opportunities, you have to make the most of them and the Knicks are doing the opposite of that.

In Game Two, the Knicks hit 16/40 three-pointers and it is still only one of two times this postseason they have hit double-digit threes in a game.

Playoff three-point shooting stats:

Jalen Brunson: 1.9/6.6 (28.3%)

• JB shot a great 6/10 in the Game Two win but went a combined 0/12 in the Games One and Three loss.

Julius Randle: 1.6/6.9 (22.9%)

• Randle went 3/9 in the Game Two win but followed it up by going 0/5 in the Game Three loss.

RJ Barrett: 1.8/5.6 (31.1%)

• RJ has hit 8/21 (38%) threes in the Heat series which is actually quite good for him.

Immanuel Quickley: 1.1/4.6 (24.3%)

• IQ has struggled with his shot in the 2023 playoffs. He has hit only 9/37 from three.

Quentin Grimes: 0.5/3.0 (16.7%)

• Grimes has been dealing with injuries but still isn't shooting it well. Just 2/9 from three in the Miami series through three games.

Josh Hart: 1.1/3.1 (36.0%)

• After going 5/11 in the Cleveland series, Hart is only 4/14 from three in the Miami clash. He did hit a massive three to put the Knicks up 104-100 with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter of game two. If Hart is going to continue to be in the closing lineup, he has to be able to make shots. Hart hitting shots really puts this team in another dimension and it’s why they were so good after they traded for him.

Obi Toppin: 1.4/4.3 (32.4%)

• Toppin went a little three-crazy in Game One when he hit 4/11 attempts with Julius Randle out. Since then, he has gone 1/6 and is an unimpressive 7/23 from deep without his 4/11 game.

For context, let’s compare it to how these players shot from three in the regular season:

Jalen Brunson: 2.0/4.7 (41.6%)

Julius Randle: 2.8/8.3 (34.3%)

RJ Barrett: 1.7/5.3 (31.0%)

Immanuel Quickley: 2.1/5.6 (37.0%)

Quentin Grimes: 2.2/5.7 (38.6%)

Josh Hart: 1.1/2.1 (51.9%) {25 games}

Obi Toppin: 1.3/3.7 (34.4%)

Every single player besides RJ Barrett who is at his usual inefficient 30 percent (a conversation for a different time) is underperforming.

The outside shooting is likely going to have to improve if the Knicks want to get back into this series.

Not performing in other important categories:

I would say they can fall back on the other categories that helped make them successful this season but all those numbers are down as well. In this series, New York is scoring 8.7 points off turnovers, 13.7 second-chance points, 9.0 fastbreak points, and 44 points in the paint. In the regular season, they scored 15.6 points off turnovers, 16.2 second-chance points, 12.8 fastbreak points, and 52.1 points in the paint. Of course, the numbers are going to look worse with their lack of scoring but it’s not surprising at all given the play we’ve seen on the court. The Knicks' toughness and hustle are what made them stand out this season, this team played with an edge.

Miami has stolen that edge thus far and looks like the more seasoned, experienced team. They find themselves two wins away from their third Eastern Conference Finals appearance in four seasons.

The Knicks have their work cut out for them but if the Heat keep daring them to shoot, it’s time to make them pay.

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