Julius Randle once again showed his brilliant abilities during the 11-point victory of the Cavaliers in Cleveland, with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assistants for his seventh triple 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 only achieved three times last season. The Cavs, who entered the game at 3-0, were missing a load of corpses, including Kevin Love, while the Knicks were without Alec Burks, both rookies and Dennis Smith Jr., not to mention Austin Rivers.
In the end, Randle just mattered. He presented the show throughout the course of the evening, playing for 44 minutes, amassing incredible numbers and looking like an All-Star. After tonight, he scored nearly 25 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in four games.
With the Milwaukee Bucks’ 20-point discount on Tuesday night felt a classic disappointment for the Knickerbockers franchise, only this version of the Knicks did not get the memo. The earlier run was back and forth, and four minutes into the first quarter, right on schedule, Tom Thibodeau called his first time-out, even though the Cavs were only 6-5 ahead.
Since Thibs called such a quick time-out, it’s only fitting that we take a short breather to pay attention to the intense impact Thibs had on the Knicks. It’s hard to describe in words only how much difference Thibodeau’s coaching makes in the team. The rotation is tight, guys know when they are going to get opportunities, and they understand what is expected of them. Those who mint are rewarded with further minutes. No one wants to draw the anger of Thibs. It took just over 20 years and a dozen coaches, but the Knicks may have finally found the right replacement for Jeff Van Gundy.
Back to the action: Randle had a stellar first quarter, with the help of Reggie Bullock, who nailed each of his first two tries and finished the night with 17 points. Elfrid Payton’s jump shot did not have the same hiss as Wednesday (he finished 6-15 off the field), but he also played an impressive game against the Cavs (14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2-4 from three).
After a somewhat sloppy start, the Knicks kicked into gear halfway through the first period and took a 29-15 lead toward the end of the quarter.
Early in the second quarter, it feels like the Bucks game again. Most impressive was that the Knicks drained tries as if they were the best three-point shooting team in the NBA or something.
The Knicks are now the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA with 45.9%. They were the 4th worst in the league last season. They have not finished higher than 20th since the 2014-15 season. 2020 will never stop surprising you.
– Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) 30 December 2020
Unlike Milwaukee, however, Cleveland did not collapse. After falling by as many as 16, the Cavs crawled halfway through the second and were neck and neck with the Knicks. A familiar feeling began to permeate the air. It was the Knicks we know. The Cavs would take the lead and never look back.
Nope.
The Knicks broke with seven and mostly protected their lead in the second half, minus a few disgusting minutes in the fourth quarter that included an eight-second offense and more turnover than your grandmother’s pastries. Timely hoops from people like Randle and RJ Barrett helped the Knicks overcome their battle, and when it’s all over, New York was a 95-86 victory.
The Knicks are now 2-2, a record they have not achieved since 2015-16 under Derek Fisher. This is probably the last time we’ll have to describe something Fisher did with the Knicks in a favorable way.
Notes:
> Some of Randle pennies are really very tasty. Seriously good enough to eat. If he can sustain it, he’s an All-Star and the Knicks’ standard is above average.
> Barrett did not have a great game, with 12 points at 4-15. But as usual, he did not allow his cold stroke to stop him from helping in other ways. In addition to digging deep late for some big buckets, Barrett returned 7 times, 2 shots and 2 steals.
> Frank Ntilikina continues to try to work out a role for himself off the bench. He took advantage of the opportunity due to the absence of DSJ and Immanuel Quickley, while playing 16 rock solid minutes and finishing with 5 points (2-5 off the field, 1-3 from depth included), 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steal.
> Kevin Knox (6 points on 2-3 from the field and 1 rebound in 16 minutes) still looks capable. Not better than that, nor worse. Simply competent. This is a big improvement.
> The Knicks can really use better dribblers. Whenever Elf was off the field, the Cavs encouraged the defense and made things difficult for Ntilikina, Barrett or whoever was trying to bring the ball to the floor. The Knicks were asked tonight for two separate eight-second fouls, which basically never happens.
> Mitchell Robinson, starting center, is correct. Mitch had a solid overall night and finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. He only picked up his first offense late in the second quarter, and he was generally good at it until late in the fourth, when he was asked for three quick offenses in what felt like three seconds.
> New York turned the ball over 25 times and shot 13-21 from the free-throw line. Most of the time the shit will not fly.
Tonight, though, that shit flew. It flies thanks to Julius Randle, who has had to deal with a lot of heat since signing with the Knicks as a consolation prize two summers ago. Randle, who is only 26 years old, could still theoretically be part of the future of the team, but he may also trade at some point if his value continues to rise.
However, the future is for the birds. Tonight is an evening to celebrate. As Ewing Finger Roll of Doom puts it: “Dear Julius, we are sorry.”
The Knicks play the Raptors in Tampa on New Year’s Eve next year, because we’re still in the midst of a one-time pandemic and Toronto cannot currently play home games in their home arena. Mal things. Tip is 7:30.
Stay safe out there and happy new year everyone!