Teams fighting for their playoff lives are the most desperate, closeout games the most grueling.
The Heat know what they’ll have to do to win Wednesday’s second-round Game 5 at the Garden: Play harder than the Knicks.
So far, that hasn’t been a problem for them.
“We’ve always got a shot to win when we’re guarding or just playing together,” Jimmy Butler said. “This is a game of runs for both sides. But if we talk through everything, we’re having fun more than anything, I think it’s going to end well for us.
“But we’ve just got to continue to play hard. We’ve damn sure got to play hard when we go up to New York. But we’ve got a job to do, and I think we’re very capable.”
Miami comes into the Garden with a 3-1 lead, and has the countenance of sharks smelling blood.
Teams with a 3-1 series lead have won 95 percent of the time, the last team to overturn such a deficit being Denver in 2020.
But the Knicks don’t have Nikola Jokic, with their own star Julius Randle being dominated by Bam Adebayo.
Meanwhile, Butler is averaging 33.5 points, 6.4 boards and 5.1 assists, the best player in this postseason not named Devin Booker.
He and Adebayo are surrounded by a group that has smothered the Knicks’ isolation-heavy offense, hit clutch shots and has plenty of experience winning.
“We’ve been in a lot of fights,” said Kevin Love, a 2016 champ with Cleveland. “We know who to go to when the game is close, two guys in the locker room right now [Butler and Adebayo]. If we continue to fight we feel like for 48 minutes we’re really tough team, and that’s showing.
“Now we have to move on the road in a very tough environment in Madison Square Garden for Game 5. Closeout games, our guys have been there before. … Those are the hardest games, so we’re going to have to come out and try and hit first, make that emphasis of just play as hard as we did [in Game 4].”
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
- Vaccaro: Knicks’ failure to help Brunson is why their season’s over
- 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
Randle acknowledged of the Heat “maybe they want it more,” a damning admission.
And Miami has an edge in experience.
Kyle Lowry, a 2019 champ with Toronto, is leading a bench that has outplayed the Knicks’ reserves.
He’s averaged 18.4 in 13 elimination games, and 20.7 with Toronto and Miami.
“Competitive nature is heightened in closeout games. I’ve been in a lot, and I’ve been on the other side on both ends. I’ve been in this situation before and I know how hard they are,” Lowry said. “Just focusing on the game, you have to have your mind right. There are going to be crazy ups and downs, but if you just focus on the game plan, know what to do, have your teammates [backs] we’ll be happy.
“It’s a hard game, but we’ve got to go over there and think about finishing … stay in the game, keeping our head above water. There will be some runs and crazy fans, loud, but we’ll go over there and be focused and understand our game plan, because we want a dub.”