Knicks vs. Heat, Game 5: Halftime Thoughts From MSG

The New York Knicks have a lead on the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but their fate beyond Wednesday is still anything but assured.

They haven't fully sprouted yet, but seeds for Game 6 have been planted at Madison Square Garden.

Behind a game-best 18 points for Julius Randle, the New York Knicks overcame a 14-point first quarter to take a 50-47 lead on the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their NBA Playoff series. Miami, up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and one win away from their third Eastern Conference Finals appearance in four years, is led by 12 points each for Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.

What stood out over the opening 24 minutes?

View From the Toppin

Perhaps head coach Tom Thibodeau hasn't fully lived up to the promise of "everything" being "on the table," as some Knicks fans still aren't pleased that they haven't seen, say Evan Fournier or Derrick Rose. However, the unexpected hero has turned out to be Toppin, whose insertion at the top of the second quarter woke up the Garden and helped upped the pace. Toppin has let Brunson do the talking on the shot sheets but he provided energy to the tune of five rebounds in nine minutes and established the necessary space for his backcourt teammates to line up from deep.

Not Mightier Than the Board

Rebounds, alas, are once again nipping at the Knicks' noses. The deficits are, much like Game 4, not exactly a canyon, as New York actually hauled in more rebounds (25-24) and only lost the offensive board battle by two. However, the Knicks dug themselves an early hole with their failure to obtain, as Miami earned nine second-chance points before the first commercial break (an advantage that has bloomed to 17-3 in that department). Mitchell Robinson started to change the narrative a bit with three offensive rebounds in the second quarter. The early extra chances not only established Miami's 10-point lead at the end of the first half but more or less rendered a 7-for-7 stretch to open the second frame mostly moot

Just Don't Have the Hart

Even though one of them learned that reached the All-NBA Third Team, the Knicks' versatile men in the post have struggled. The honored Julius Randle loaded up on ill-advised tripels (1-of-4 before sinking a potentially momentum-shifting deep one just before the halftime horn) and lost two more turnovers while Josh Hart was charged with three fouls in the first, which kept him out of the second period entirely. Will it be up to Toppin to keep generating the rhythmic momentum in their spots? 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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