Heat forward Jimmy Butler passes the ball as Knicks guard RJ Barrett defends during the first half of an NBA game on Wednesday in Miami. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky
MIAMI — Tom Thibodeau finally got a look at the team he has been trying to build, an unselfish, smart and defensive-minded group in which the whole outperforms the individual pieces. Unfortunately for Thibodeau, it was the Miami Heat, not his Knicks.
Led by one of Thibodeau’s long-time pupils, Jimmy Butler, the Heat dominated the Knicks from start to finish, building leads of as many as 30 as they coasted to a 110-96 win at FTX Arena.