Julius Randle once again displayed his dazzling skills during Tuesday’s 11-point victory over the Cavaliers in Cleveland, scoring 28 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in his seventh triple-double career and first as a member of the Knicks.
Randle’s performance came in front of about 300 fans at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and the win gives the Knicks a two-game winning streak, something they won just three times in total last season. The Cavs, who came into play 3-0, were without many bodies, including Kevin Love, while the Knicks were without Alec Burks, both newbies and Dennis Smith Jr., not to mention Austin Rivers.
In the end, all that really mattered was Randle. He ran the show overnight, playing 44 minutes, racking up incredible numbers and looking like an All-Star. After tonight, he averages almost 25 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in four games.
Coming out of that 20-point defeat by the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday night seemed like a classic game of deception for the Knickerbockers franchise, only this version of the Knicks did not receive the memo. The first games went from side to side, and four minutes after the first quarter, just in time, Tom Thibodeau asked for his first timeout, although the Cavs was only 6-5.
Since Thibs asked for such a quick timeout, it is appropriate that we take a brief break to deal with the intense impact that Thibs had on the Knicks. It is difficult to describe in a few words how much Thibodeau’s training seems to be doing on the team. The rotation is tight, the guys know when they will have opportunities and understand what is expected of them. Those who capitalize are rewarded with more minutes. Nobody wants to attract Thibs’ ire. It only took more than 20 years and a dozen coaches, but the Knicks may finally have found the right replacement for Jeff Van Gundy.
Back in action: Randle had a stellar first quarter, with the help of Reggie Bullock, who hit each of his first two three and finished with 17 points in the night. Elfrid Payton’s pitch didn’t have the same squeak as Wednesday (he finished 6-15 on the field), but he also played an impressive game against the Cavs (14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 to 4 out of three ).
After a somewhat sloppy start, the Knicks started working in the middle of the first period and, at the end of the quarter, they were 29-15.
At the beginning of the second quarter, it looked like the Bucks game was up again. The most impressive thing is that the Knicks were selling out all three as if they were the best three-point pitching team in the NBA or something.
Knicks is now the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA with 45.9%. They were the fourth worst in the league last season. They haven’t finished above 20th since the 2014-15 season. 2020 never ceases to amaze you.
– Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) December 30, 2020
Unlike Milwaukee, however, Cleveland did not collapse. After falling by about 16, the Cavs crawled backwards and was neck and neck with the Knicks in the middle of the second. A familiar feeling began to permeate the air. This was the Knicks we know. The Cavs would take the lead and would never look back.
Do not.
The Knicks went into the break for seven, and in the second half they almost protected the advantage, minus a few disgusting minutes in the fourth period, which included an eight-second violation and more losses than their grandmother’s pastry party. Timely hoops from names like Randle and RJ Barrett helped the Knicks to overcome their difficulties and, in the end, New York won by 95-86.
The Knicks are now 2-2, a record they haven’t set since 2015-16 under Derek Fisher. This is probably the last time that we will have to describe something that Fisher did with the Knicks favorably.
Grades:
> Some Randle coins are really delicious. Seriously good to eat. If he can keep that up, he’s an All-Star and the Knicks are above average by default.
> Barrett did not make a big game, with 12 points from 4-15 shots. But, as always, he didn’t let his stroke stop him from trying to help in other ways. In addition to digging deep for some large late buckets, Barrett posted 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
> Frank Ntilikina keeps trying to win a role for himself outside the bank. He took the opportunity presented by the absences of DSJ and Immanuel Quickley, playing 16 solid minutes and ending with 5 points (2-5 on the field including 1-3 in depth), 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
> Kevin Knox (6 points in 2-3 of the field and 1 rebound in 16 minutes) continues to look competent. Neither better than that, nor worse. Simply competent. Which marks a major improvement.
> The Knicks would really need some better dribblers. Whenever Elf was out of court, the Cavs would cheer on defense and make things really difficult for Ntilikina, Barrett or whoever was trying to bring the ball to the floor. The Knicks were called in for two separate eight-second violations tonight, which is something that basically never happens.
> Mitchell Robinson, early pivot, is correct. Mitch had a solid overall night, ending with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. He did not suffer his first foul until the end of the second half, and was generally good at making a foul until the end of the fourth period, when he was called for three quick fouls in what felt like three seconds.
> New York turned the ball 25 times and kicked 13-21 from the free-throw line. Most of the time, this crap doesn’t work.
Tonight, however, that shit flew. It flew thanks to Julius Randle, who has had to deal with a ton of heat since signing with the Knicks as a consolation prize two summers ago. Randle, who is only 26, may theoretically still be part of the team’s future, but it can also be traded at some point if its value continues to rise.
The future is for birds, however. Tonight is a night to celebrate. As Ewing Finger Roll of Doom said: ‘Dear Julius, we are sorry.’
The Knicks play New Year’s Eve against the Raptors in Tampa, because we are still in the middle of a pandemic that occurs once in a century and Toronto cannot play at home in its arena right now. Crazy things. The tip is at 7:30.
Stay safe out there and Happy New Year to everyone!