Getty Thaddeus Young guards Julius Randle in a February 1 game against the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks are good again which is something that every hoops fan can celebrate no matter what team you root for. Why? Because the NBA is better when the Knicks are playing well.
New York currently sits at fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 34-27. They are 6.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets for the top spot in the division.
Much like how nobody could see the resurgence of the Knicks coming, one thing that also has caught people by surprise is the type of season that Julius Randle is having.
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Kendrick Perkins Thinks Julius Randle Deserves MVP
The Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors 120-103 on Saturday afternoon. Randle had another monster performance as he finished the game with 31 points and 9 assists.
As Randle stepped to the free-throw line in the third quarter, the limited, yet boisterous Knicks crowd let him hear their appreciation for his performance as MVP chants rung out from the arena.
Kevin Durant’s former Thunder teammate and 2008 NBA champion, Kendrick Perkins thinks that it is about time that the rest of the league took notice of the Knicks All-Star’s play.
“I’m glad the world is finally taking notice!!! Carry on,” Perkins tweeted in response to the video.
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The Knicks Will Go as Far as Randle Takes Them
Randle will almost certainly win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. Many experts have already penciled the former Kentucky Wildcat in to make an All-NBA team this year as well. However, an MVP award is beginning to look more and more likely as the Knicks continue to go as far as Randle takes them.
The Knicks now have the NBA’s longest active win streak as they have now won nine games in a row.
Randle has been the catalyst of this Knicks team from the beginning of the season. It seems like the better he plays, the better the team plays and at this rate, the team will only keep trending upwards as Randle’s play continues to improve.
One person who understands this is Knicks’ first-year head coach Tom Thibodeau who could not be more proud of the season that Randle and the Knicks are putting together.
Tom Thibodeau Impressed by Randle and the Knicks
“It always starts with your best players, if they work like that it sets a tone for the team, and so [Randle] is relentless,” Thibodeau said via Ian O’Connor of the New York Post.
“It’s not an accident that he’s having the type of season that he’s having. His commitment, I could see it from the first day I met him, the type of conditioning he had and how committed he was to turning this thing around.”
The Knicks who came into the season viewed as a potential lottery team have placed themselves in the ranks with the NBA’s title contenders.
New York has not won a playoff series since the 2012-13 season when Carmelo Anthony was still the star of the team. Now there is a new era of Knicks basketball and Randle is hoping he can lead the orange and blue to the promised land.
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Kevin Durant’s Ex-Teammate Thinks Julius Randle Deserves NBA MVP