The throwback, grinding sequence that defined the Knicks’ Game 2 triumph

As the Heat worry about an ankle, the Knicks found a pair of willing Harts.

With hobbled Heat star Jimmy Butler watching from the bench, Tom Thibodeau’s crew grinded out a 111-105 Game 2 victory at the Garden on Tuesday night, knotting the second-round series in a way the ’90s Knicks would appreciate.

The Knicks (45.1 percent) and Heat (44.7 percent) shot about the same from the field. The Heat tallied one more assist. The Knicks shot a bit better from beyond the arc, and the Heat scored a few more points in the paint.

The difference — and the difference-making sequence — arose from a relentless Knicks effort on the boards. The Knicks outrebounded Miami by 16, the biggest few coming during a crucial possession when Isaiah Hartenstein would not allow the Knicks to play defense until Josh Hart could sink a 3.

In a game that was so much about will — Butler’s ankle not allowing him to suit up after he limped up and down the court in Game 1’s fourth quarter; Julius Randle (25 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists) and Jalen Brunson (30 points while clearly lacking some mobility) playing through their own ankle injuries — it was the Knicks backup center’s tenacity that swung the momentum.

The Knicks trailed, 96-93, about halfway through the fourth quarter and appeared on the verge of heading to Miami down 0-2. There is no such thing as a must-win Game 2, but on a night Butler could not contribute, there should have been maximum urgency to find a way to survive.

And there was within Hartenstein, Randle and Hart during a possession that seemed to never end. The Knicks needed five shots to sink one, and Hartenstein ensured they could keep firing.

The possession began with Hartenstein catching a feed from Randle, missing a short jumper and fighting for the rebound, the Knicks holding onto the ball because Kyle Lowry fouled Randle.

The Knicks inbounded and cleared out for Brunson and Hartenstein. The two played a two-man game, first with a pick-and-roll and then a pretty give-and-go — Brunson’s reverse layup rimmed out. But Hartenstein fought around the 6-foot-9 Bam Adebayo, grabbed the offensive rebound and dished back to the perimeter, where the Knicks could take a breath.

Given a new shot clock, Brunson was free to create and found an open Quentin Grimes in the corner. Grimes rose and fired when Hartenstein was around the 3-point arc, but Hartenstein sprinted in, projected the miss would be long and jumped to grab the rebound while getting fouled by Max Strus.

With yet another chance, the Knicks worked the ball around until Hart tried a turnaround jumper. The shot missed, and this time Adebayo had the position on Hartenstein — who, somehow, still flung his arm out and knocked the ball back to Hart.

The Knicks swung the ball around the perimeter one more time. Brunson or Randle could have shot, but they opted for the extra pass, the final one going to Hart in the corner. He was freed up because — why else? — Hartenstein sealed off Miami’s Gabe Vincent on a back screen, and Hart finally pumped in the triple to tie it at 96.

The Knicks first had inbounded the ball at 5:52 of the fourth and did not allow the Heat to touch the ball again until 4:45. In the span, the Knicks tried three 2-pointers and two 3-pointers, drew two Miami fouls and grabbed four rebounds.

If this were the NFL, the Knicks would have won in time of possession, Hartenstein serving as a short-yardage running back who could rumble for however many inches the Knicks needed.

“Hartenstein, man, getting all them boards. We were able to get a good shot at the end,” RJ Barrett said about the possession. “… He was able to get us those extra possessions. That was big-time, just his effort.”

After his effort, the Knicks never trailed again. Brunson nailed a 3 to give them the edge at 4:07, and the Knicks gained separation in the final four minutes with Mitchell Robinson back on the floor.

“Isaiah, those were huge hustle plays he made,” Thibodeau said. “We needed them.”

Of Hartenstein’s nine rebounds, four were offensive rebounds. Hart, whose greatest talent might be a tremendous feel for where he should be, finished with 11 boards, which was more than any Heat player grabbed. There are nights when Brunson is healthy and scoring in every way; or when Barrett is breaking down defenders and scooping his way to the hoop; or when Immanuel Quickley is raining 3s from deep. And then there are nights like Tuesday’s, when the Knicks needed to out-grit a team that is known for being gritty.

Butler will be back. His wave to fans at the Garden in the closing minutes felt more like a see-you-soon than a goodbye. Both teams will have an extra day to rest before Saturday’s Game 3 in what will be a super-charged, No-Longer-FTX Arena.

The series is far from over in large part because the Knicks found their Harts.

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Margin of error

There were other directions for Yankees fans to point their pitchforks Monday night.

Aaron Boone had pulled a rolling Domingo German after just 88 pitches with one out in the ninth. The manager first tabbed Clay Holmes, who blew a two-run lead, and then went to Wandy Peralta, who walked in the go-ahead run.

Fans screamed at Boone. Holmes was jeered. After Aaron Hicks struck out in the bottom of the ninth to end a game the Yankees lost, 3-2, boos rained down upon the outfielder.

There were plenty of reasons for frustration, but a quiet one concerned why Hicks was batting in the ninth inning of a one-run game in the first place.

Sure, the Yankees have a significant problem because their top-quality hitters — Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton — are on the injured list, but also because their quantity of hitters is so thin.

The Yankees bounced back Tuesday with a 4-2 win in which Boone never called for a pinch-hitter. Boone has sent up a pinch-hitter only nine times this season, which is the second-lowest in baseball. A Yankees pinch-hitter has recorded a hit only once, which is only ahead of Cleveland’s zero pinch-hit hits.

The Yankees pinch-hit fewer than almost anyone, and their pinch-hitters have been worse than almost everyone. Across town, the Mets have a bench with a few bats capable of changing games in the final innings. Daniel Vogelbach can come in cold and crush a righty pitcher. Tommy Pham can come in cold and crush a lefty pitcher. The Yankees, meanwhile, have a bench that is more for storage than for utility.

Commonly found on the bench are Hicks, who is owed roughly $30 million, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, whose versatile glove has value, even if his bat has not been useful. Willie Calhoun, who provided the go-ahead homer on Tuesday, Jake Bauers and the just-optioned Franchy Cordero are fliers taken on talent rather than players with proven, usable skills.

That adds up to Hicks taking an at-bat in a one-run game in the ninth inning, a situation that ends predictably: with a strikeout and with boos.

The bumpy road not traveled

In an alternate universe, there is a growing outrage from Mets fans directed at Carlos Correa and the team’s front office.

Through his first 26 games this season, the Twins shortstop — who is not playing for the Giants or Mets because he failed physicals this offseason — is hitting .206 with three home runs, a .652 OPS and without a steal.

Slow starts happen, and the assumption here is the 28-year-old will be fine because he has usually been fine. It is not a lack of production that scared off the Giants and Mets, but an ankle that required surgery in 2014 and that, the teams apparently feared, would hamper him more as he gets older.

Still, what if Correa had the same April as the Mets’ starting third baseman in the first season of the 12-year, $315 million pact the two sides had agreed upon?

Without Correa, the Mets gave third base to Eduardo Escobar, who quickly lost the job to Brett Baty. The 23-year-old rookie was dominant with Triple-A Syracuse and has been excellent since being called up, with a .920 OPS in his first 12 games.

Would Mets fans have been screaming for Baty to replace Correa in the first month of the first season of a dozen-year mega-contract? That is a hypothetical the Mets do not have to worry about.