Getty Julius Randle of the New York Knicks reacts after scoring a basket against the Dallas Mavericks.
Star big man Julius Randle took a hard fall during Tuesday’s Game 2 matchup between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The power forward was knocked to the ground by Cavs center Jarrett Allen as the two collided while Randle was going up for a fast-break dunk.
Allen, who didn’t seem to have any malicious intent with his questionable contest, was ultimately called for a flagrant foul level one for his part in the play. In the days following, the Knicks stud has addressed the situation on numerous occasions, even claiming everything between him and Cleveland’s center to be “fine.”
Now, in a recent media session, Julius Randle opened up on how he’s feeling heading into Game 3 of their best-of-seven series and, in specific, jokingly downplayed the severity of any repercussions that were feared to have come about from his Game 2 fall.
“I’m built for these kinds of battles. That’s why I put so much time in the weight room. I put a lot of time into my body for recovery and stuff like that. My kids have beat me up worse,” a smirking Julius Randle said regarding his physical health ahead of Game 3.
How is Julius Randle feeling after his ugly fall at the end of Game 2?
“I’m built for these kind of battles. My kids have beat me up worse.”
Thursday afternoon, The Athletic’s Fred Katz reported that “everyone was healthy in practice” and that head coach Tom Thibodeau stated that “Randle is ready to go back to his usual rotation.”
JB Bickerstaff Discusses Knick Star Julius Randle’s Fall
Though many, including the league’s officiating team, deemed Jarrett Allen’s actions in Game 2 to be flagrant-worthy, Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff is of the mindset that such a call was highly unnecessary.
Following Tuesday’s bout, Cleveland’s head man was asked to share his thoughts on the contest from his star pivot, and, in response, he suggested that Allen’s efforts were absolutely just.
“I mean, it was a contested dunk, like if you’re going to get a steal,” Bickerstaff said. “The [Knicks] kept playing hard. They kept running through passing lanes, so why would one team play hard and the other one not? There was nothing dirty about the play. It wasn’t a flagrant foul. He contested a shot at the rim. It’s that simple.”
By the time of Julius Randle’s exit, he went on to finish the outing with a solid 22 points and 8 boards while shooting 42.9% from deep.
West Scout Sounds Off on Knicks Wing RJ Barrett
During a recent sit-down with Heavy Sports’ Alder Amos, a Western Conference scout discussed Knicks centerpiece RJ Barrett and the state of his progress as a player since being selected third overall back in the 2019 NBA Draft.
While the anonymous scout did note that the 22-year-old does have some serious talent, from an upside standpoint, it would appear as though the wing is a bit capped.
“RJ is a good player and has made improvements over the years,” the Western Conference Scout told Heavy Sports. “But I think there’s a ceiling on his development. He’ll be [someone] who can be in the league for a long time as a good player and starter. I just don’t think he has that next level in terms of talent.”
CLEVELAND AIN’T BUILT FOR THIS.
They will NOT walk into The Garden and leave with a win in Game 3
RJ Barrett has received quite a bit of heat with his underwhelming play through New York’s first couple of playoff games in 2023, with ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith going as far as to suggest that he “might need to sit down for this series.”
Through two outings played, the fourth-year pro is posting a lackluster per-game stat line of just 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting an abysmal 24.0% from the field and 12.5% from deep.