Never in the Knicks’ long history — one that dates almost back to World War II — have they ever dropped a Game 1 at home and come back to win a playoff series.
The Heat claim even all that history isn’t enough to lull them into complacency.
“I definitely think that’s a professional sports type thing. But we’ve just got to keep our head in the dirt, and keep our head in the ground,” Kyle Lowry said of fighting overconfidence. “At the end of the day, we know they’re going to come with a crazy effort [Tuesday], and we have to just match that effort from the jump ball.
“So this is one of the things where [overconfidence is possible], but if you’re willing to just keep your head down and keep your head focused on the job and the task at hand, you can find a way to get to that.”
Erik Spoelstra added, “I sense a deep respect for the Knicks out of our group. … We want to capitalize on these opportunities as much as we can.We know what to expect, what the Garden will be like and what the response will be like from the Knicks. They’re a competitive group just like we are.”
Gabe Vincent was one of the unsung heroes for Miami in Sunday’s Game 1 victory. He had 20 points, five assists and a steal, shooting 5 of 12 from 3-point range.
While the Heat were dealing with Jimmy Butler’s ankle sprain, questionable for Game 2, the Knicks have a pair of stars in doubt with their own ankle woes.
Julius Randle, who missed Game 1 with a sprained left ankle, was predictably listed as questionable for Tuesday.
More surprising was Jalen Brunson, who was added to the injury report with a sore right ankle.
“We’ll see. It definitely changes things. Julius is a great basketball player, rebounding and finishing [versus] our defense,” Spoelstra said of Randle.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
- Vaccaro: Knicks’ failure to help Brunson is why their season’s over
- Knicks battle but fall in season-ending Game 6 loss to Heat
- Knicks couldn’t survive two minutes without Brunson
- Brunson’s heroic night spoiled by late turnover
Brunson’s inclusion on the injury list was more unexpected, after posting 25 points and seven assists in Game 1. Miami did make him a focus of their defense and held him to 0-for-7 from deep.
“Just gotta stay disciplined. He’s such a crafty guy, and he’s obviously very intelligent with his footwork and manipulates guys off angles and off his body, so you’ve gotta really stay disciplined,” Caleb Martin said of Brunson.
“Jalen’s great. He missed some shots for sure that he usually makes, but we just made it a little bit more difficult, tried to pick him up a little bit,” said Lowry. “But Jalen’s literally an All-NBA type player, man. He’s changed their team around.
“He’s unbelievably good and he’s only going to get better. A guy like him can go off for 40, he can go off for a triple-double, he can do everything. So we’ve just got to make sure we stay focused on him, make his looks tough, make his job a little bit harder.”