The team leader, Julius Randle, heard it. The Knicks needed Wednesday’s rematch in Chicago. They needed it a lot.
The Knicks were at a crossroads, having lost five of six games after falling a double against the Bulls Monday at United Center. They had fallen to 11th place in the Eastern Conference, four games below .500.
“Like a playoff game, you’re playing the same team in such a short time,” Randle said previously.
“We have to make our adjustments. The most important thing is that we just have more sense of urgency to start the game – look at it as a must-see. We can’t miss two in a row on this trip. “
Randle made sure.
The Knicks prevailed, 107-103, and Randle played as Captain Randle, the kind of game that was better than the box score. And the score was very good: 27 points, six assists, six rebounds, 5 against 7 in triples.
Randle’s 3-point shooting has been another world this season. It posted a cold rate of 27.7 from the city center in 2019-20. It is shooting up 38% from 3 now.
“Honestly, it wasn’t a great season shooting the ball from 3 last year,” Randle said. “It’s something I got in the lab and hardened things. Repetitions and confidence, man. My mental approach is completely different. I have unlimited confidence in it. “
Although starting point guard Elfrid Payton made a solid start, Randle didn’t let the Knicks lose, not even when the Bulls reloaded from 19 points to three on the stretch. Randle took the Knicks home, on defense and attack.
“That’s what we expect from him: a veteran leader, playing hard on both sides of the ball, sharing the ball, making the right plays and setting an example for everyone,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “It gives the team the belief that we can win. You get it by doing rush work. The more rush games, the more you ignite and inspire the team. That’s what we expect from it.”
One of Randle’s six assists came at 4:40. The Bulls were charging for the first time all night. Chicago dragged the 19 at the end of the first period, with 15 points after three. Now the deficit was three, with five minutes left. The Knicks ’easy walk through the United Center had become a painful sprint towards the end.
And here was Randle, entering the lane, in a double team, shooting a pass to Reggie Bullock around the corner. Bullock drained the trey, increased the edge to six, and finally slowed the climb. Last season, Randle would have forced something nasty.
There were bigger late moments for Randle, who came in after his strong first half of 15 points. This time, he took matters into his own hands, sinking a hard jumper over a double team just inside the free throw line with 2:00 left to make it 106-99.
About to finish. But then Randle presented his clearest play in the absence of 1:00, the Bulls still sniffed, dropping five.
Showing quick feet on defense, a testament to his new endurance, Randle threw himself on the perimeter and chased Bulls counter Zach LaVine, who harassed him to a 3-point dispute with 1:00 left. He missed a lot. Finished.
With three upcoming strong games against the Trail Blazers and a Heat at home and against the NBA finalist, the Knicks needed it against the bustling Bulls.
At a crossroads in Chicago, the Knicks took the right fork winning in a city where Thibodeau has done his best job.
They attacked the Bulls from the start and were able to return to New York reassured to snatch some fading momentum – their 10-13 record.
That first quarter of 34-17 was a masterpiece. Everything clicked. They chased the Bulls in a brick show from 0-8 from the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, Randle cleared three consecutive triples in three consecutive possessions, putting on the All-Star cap. No one remembers if Randle hit two straight triples last season.
Randle added 15 points in 18 minutes in the first half. If the coaches of the All-Star team don’t consider it, something is wrong.
The NBA is finalizing plans to restore the All-Star Game in Atlanta and Randle sounded like he hoped to be there.
“It’s going to be great to be a part of that,” Randle said.
As written here above, Randle should be seen under a new target, not as a commercial bait, but as an emerging star that should be embraced. He set the tone Wednesday as the captains do.
The Nets have their three future Hall-of-Famers James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
And the Nets have owned television scores since Harden’s Jan. 16 debut, beating the Knicks by 10 percent of viewers in the New York market, according to industry sources.
For now, the Knicks have Randle, who has never been on a winning team and has lost a lot of games in his previous six seasons.
In his seventh season, Randle is the main reason the Knicks have 10 wins. In his seventh season, Randle looks like a winner.