Heat 109, Knicks 101: Scenes from the same old depressing crap in this series

I usually wait until after the games to start writing these little postgame ditties, but this is a special occasion. It may be the beginning of the fourth quarter, but this game is over. This series is over. The 2022-23 New York Knicks season is over.

And, hey, it was a great season! They exceeded all expectations. They won a playoff round for the first time in a decade. But they had no chance against Pat Riley’s witchcraft. The Miami Heat didn’t exactly blow the Knicks out in Game 4, but it was pretty obvious that these guys never stood a chance. The Heat are too...good? Well-coached? Powered by evil? In the end, whatever it was, they had it, and the Knicks didn’t.

Unlike previous games in this joke of a series, the Knicks came out firing on offense. They scored 30 points in the first quarter! Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson were hitting shots! Tom Thibodeau reinserted Quentin Grimes into the starting lineup, and the spacing was much improved. Still, the Knicks found themselves down by one point, because that’s just how this series goes. From there, the Heat slowly strangled every feeble Knicks charge. Thibs played the starters way too long in the second half — we all knew he was going to go out the Thibs way! — and they were clearly spent.

Final score: Heat 109, Knicks 101. One more game to go. Let’s get it over with.