With all due respect to Knicks fans, the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City is the loudest building in the NBA.
On another pandemic Saturday, the downtown arena was empty. The Thunder is the only NBA franchise that has decided not to allow fans throughout the season.
Even if there were the usual pre-pandemic crowd, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett would have made a point of shutting them up on Saturday.
Yes, that was against the nameless Thunder without its best player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Randle and Barrett were two tornadoes rolling across the Great Plains.
And by defeating the Thunder, 119-97, Randle’s Knicks swept away the negative talk that the second half of the season may not be as loud as the first.
The Knicks did not have their two main shipowners, Elfrid Payton and Derrick Rose, but that was a beautiful thing. Randle and Barrett made sure of that, and debutant playmaker Immanuel Quickley gained more confidence from coach Tom Thibodeau to start in the second half and guide the romp in the last two periods.
Ironman Randle went from his seven-point sleeper and five turnover Thursday in Milwaukee to a historic triple-double. Barrett made history with his career record and the first game of 30 points – his 31st and 32nd points in a Randle setting.
“He’s big, he was encouraging me to get the 30 ball,” said Barrett. “Great leader, great guy. ”
Randle reached his own milestone in this second fantasy season as Knick – becoming the first player in 32 years to post two triple doubles in one season for the franchise.
The latter was Jeff Van Gundy’s broadcast partner, Mark Jackson – a dear friend of Thibodeau’s – in 1988-89. Yes, Carmelo Anthony has not managed two in seven seasons.
“Did Mark Jackson do that? Asked Thibodeau, who left his bad mood in Milwaukee. “Mark was a great talent, a great Knick, a great guy too. I think it’s a little bit surprising. But Julius had a monster game. To mark how he did it, the assists, the general game, I think that’s what the leaders do. ”
Late on Thursday night, after the Knicks were defeated by the Bucks, Randle confided that historically he has made a lot of clunker moves in the first game after the All-Star break. A few days to think about it was very useful for him.
“I had to recover, man,” ‘Randle said. “I said that I am usually not very good in the first game after the All-Star break. I know that about me. I tried to brake, but history repeated itself. I came back immediately and we got the win and we went home. ”
This was one of the Knicks, who improved to 20-19, had to have it, with the games approaching against the Brooklyn Dream Team on Atlantic Avenue on Monday and the leading 76ers from the East on Tuesday in Philadelphia (even if the Sixers star Joel Embiid will fail that one).
This was what Randle needed to ensure that his second half was as perfect as the first.
“Julius is a very proud player,” said Thibodeau. “There is no player in this league who plays well in all 82 games. I love the determination he has to come back and be ready to go and set the tone for us. This speaks volumes about your leadership. ”
Randle registered seven points – equaling his Milwaukee total – just 3:12 in Saturday’s game. He scored 14 points in the interval – doubling the seven. When he finished, his line scored 26 points, 12 assists, 12 rebounds.
And he had to share this day with Barrett – their chemistry growing with the game.
In the first quarter, Barrett entered the track, tied the double and whipped for Randle in the left corner for a 3-point opening.
“They don’t suddenly start to be great,” said Thibodeau of Barrett’s rise. “I have had several players over the years, where each year they get better. RJ will be one of those guys. And I love what Julius is doing. Seven years later, he is still improving. ”
Randle is an All-Star. Barrrett, now with 20-point games in five of the last six games, is looking like the Knicks’ next game. Thibodeau already has the second star for Randle.
If this pandemic season is going to be a special playoff, the Knicks may need another veteran piece.
Interestingly, before the game, Thibodeau abandoned the name of Al Horford, the 34-year-old Thunder great man who is probably looking forward to being negotiated with an opponent by the March 25 deadline.
“Any team that has Al Horford is capable,” said Thibodeau, without being asked.
The Knicks can use the depth of the big man because of Mitchell Robinson’s fractured central hand and relative inexperience. Horford was excellent in defeat, catching rebounds, hitting 3s and hitting hook shots (16 points, 7-to-9).
“We are back to what we are as a team and to our identity,” said Randle. “It was encouraging. ”
Here they come, Brooklyn.