Quentin Grimes made most inspiring defensive play of NBA Playoffs for Knicks

The New York Knicks had their season on the line when they faced the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their second round series in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The Knicks entered down 3-1 in the series, and would have been eliminated with another loss. It was the type of game that shows what teams and what players are really made of, and New York can point to a gritty effort from Quentin Grimes as a big reason their season isn’t now over.

The Knicks beat the Heat, 112-103, on Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden. It would be a cliche to say the Knicks looked like they wanted it more, but one sequence from Grimes late in the fourth quarter lends a lot of credence to the sentiment.

With Miami only down six with just under two minutes left the fourth quarter, Grimes drew the difficult task of defending Jimmy Butler. He got clobbered by a screen from Miami’s Bam Adebayo, and appeared to grab his ankle as he laid on the floor. Grimes got up, limped his way back into the play, and again had to defend Butler. Everyone watching could see that Grimes was hurt, but he had to dig deep to get one more stop. It happened: Grimes stonewalled Butler on his first drive, and then picked his pocket on his next one. Watch the play here:

Only two players on New York played all 48 minutes in Game 5: Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes. The fact that Grimes made that play while injured after not gettin a second of rest the entire night is just unbelievable.

Tom Thibodeau once played Jimmy Butler all 48 minutes in five playoff games during his second year on the Chicago Bulls in 2013. Grimes, also in his second year, is clearly the coach’s new favorite for his toughness and perimeter defense, all of which are on display in the clip.

Grimes ended the night with eight points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. He also made the biggest defensive play of the game in the Knicks’ season-saving victory.