Heat Notes: Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, Rebounding, Game 5

Question: The key for the Heat to eliminate the Knicks at Madison Square Garden? 

Answer: Really bring it.

That seems to to be the philosophy of star wing Jimmy Butler, as the Heat visit the Knicks with a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

“We’ve always got a shot to win when we’re guarding or just playing together,” Butler said, via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “This is a game of runs for both sides. But if we talk through everything, we’re having fun more than anything, I think it’s going to end well for us. “But we’ve just got to continue to play hard. We’ve damn sure got to play hard when we go up to New York. But we’ve got a job to do, and I think we’re very capable.”

Power forward Kevin Love added that it’s important that the Heat start strong.

“We’ve been in a lot of fights,” Love said, via Lewis. “We know who to go to when the game is close, two guys in the locker room right now [Butler and forward/center Bam Adebayo]. If we continue to fight we feel like for 48 minutes we’re really tough team, and that’s showing.

“Now we have to move on the road in a very tough environment in Madison Square Garden for Game 5. Closeout games, our guys have been there before. … Those are the hardest games, so we’re going to have to come out and try and hit first, make that emphasis of just play as hard as we did [in Game 4].”

• Knicks center Mitchell Robinson gave credit to Love for neutralizing him on the glass. “That’s what I do. I’ve been stopped from doing it,” Robinson said, via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “So come out with more energy in the next game. Just fight for it. They have Love; he’s got a great base. He’s been in this situation many times. So just get on him.”