High Grimes: Knicks Get 48-Minute Spark From Quentin Grimes' Return

Quentin Grimes' return to the New York Knicks' starting lineup has undeniably pushed the New York Knicks comeback effort against the Miami Heat further.

With the complete game a dying art among the city's diamond dwellers, New York sports fans are turning to the hardwood.

The New York Knicks' season will continue thanks to a pair of 48-minute efforts in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, one that helped narrow the gap in the best-of-seven series to 3-2. Two of the Knicks' five starters played all 48 minutes of the 112-103 win that staved off elimination.

Knicks fans have perhaps come to expect such antics from Jalen Brunson, who continues to fulfill every expectation a $104 million contract laid upon him. But Quentin Grimes' breakout second season continued in style on Wednesday, as he likewise appeared in all 48 minutes required to clinch the win.

Brunson and Grimes became the first New York grouping to play all 48 minutes of a playoff game since Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, and Jerry Lucas did so and then some during the 1972 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Shorthanded with Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Immanuel Quickley out, the full slates were relatively necessary. But head coach Tom Thibodeau had no hesitation when it came to leaving Brunson and Grimes on the floor.

"The thing about our team is that we have a bunch of gym rats,” Thibodeau said, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “You give them an off day, they’re in there all day. They’re going to lift, shoot, watch film. I know that’s who they are. When you have guys like that, you know they’re ready. They know.”

Even with the reputation he has apparently built with Thibodeau, the idea of Grimes playing all 48 minutes was unheard of as little as a week ago: he was coming off the bench after working off a shoulder injury sustained during the victorious opening round against Cleveland and lost his starting spot to Josh Hart over the first three games of the Miami series. 

Grimes made his way back into the opening five after Hart struggled offensively over the first three games. The sophomore hasn't fully filled the offensive void but has garnered praise for his defense. He was partly responsible for shadowing Jimmy Butler on Wednesday and limited the postseason hero to 19 points, the first time he was held below 20 since the NBA Playoffs tipped off. The 5-of-12 success rate from the field created his worst field goal percentage since Mar. 13.

“His defensive activity off the ball is very good,” Thibodeau said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “He’s a terrific two-way player. You need those hustle plays. He’s going to give maximum effort on every play, and we need our whole team to do that.”

“The things he brings to the game, a lot of it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes,” Brunson added in the same report. “(I have) nothing but respect for him and he needs to rest up so we can do it again.”

Such perseverance perhaps provided the final momentum shift of Wednesday's win: with the Knicks holding a six-point lead in the penultimate minute, Grimes got up limping after he was on the wrong end of a physical pick from Bam Adebayo. With a noticeable limp, Grimes stayed on Butler and bumped the ball away, bringing Madison Square Garden to its feet with a play that TNT play-by-play man Ian Eagle described as "cookies."

"STEAL! OH, COOKIES, FOR QUENTIN GRIMES!"- Ian Eagle (@Stacey21King will appreciate that one) 🏀🍪🎙️ pic.twitter.com/oAwSe4MXiw

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 11, 2023

Playing injured to make a big play in a postseason game ... while wearing the memorial fabric strip bearing the late Willis Reed's number ... proved to be one of the sweetest plays of the night for the Knicks, who deemed Friday night's sixth game in Miami (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) necessary with the win.

"It's the playoffs. You've got to do whatever you can to win," Grimes said of the super steal, per Phillip Martinez of Yahoo!. "It's what you're built for, it's what you watch as a kid. I was hurt a little bit but it's not going to stop me from coming up with a steal or disrupting the play. You just have to fight through it and do whatever you can to help the team get a win."

With Quickley listed as doubtful for Game 6 and potential secret weapon Evan Fournier fighting an illness, the Knicks will likely turn to Grimes, Brunson, and more for another extended workday, a responsibility that the first-round pick from 2021 acknowledged and accepted.

"If I have to play 48 or 25, I just have to lock in on (Butler) defensively and do whatever I can to slow him down," Grimes said to Yahoo!. "“I’m a rhythm player, for sure. Just seeing the ball go through the hoop is good for anybody. (I'm) just staying out there and getting a feel for the game, locking defensively, getting rebounds, doing everything I can to build a rhythm."

"Everybody is nicked up, the Heat is nicked up. So there are no excuses.”

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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