Getty Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks walks on the court before game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat.
Fresh from helping keep the Golden State Warriors‘ title repeat bid alive, Draymond Green dished out his take on Julius Randle‘s tricky situation as the New York Knicks try to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“It’d be interesting to see if Julius Randle gets back for Game 2,” Green said on his podcast The Volume, shortly after they ousted the West’s No. 3 seed Sacramento Kings 120-100 in Game 7 of their opening round series.
Before Green and Warriors trounced the Kings in the anti-climactic end to their grueling series, the Knicks sans Randle fell to the Miami Heat 108-101 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
“You definitely don’t want to go down 0-2 headed to South Beach,” Green added. “I think with them losing 0-1—[Randle] he was shooting [Sunday]—he’ll be out there [in] Game 2. But, he’s missed some time these last few weeks, and rhythm and all of that starts to come into play, conditioning, fit because now they gotta fit him in. It’s not like you’re just sticking somebody. Julius has the ball a lot in that offense, so guys gotta find their spots and where they get their shots. So, it’s a lot of moving parts in that series.”
Randle was a late scratch in Game 1 after going through the Knicks’ shootaround. Without Randle, the Heat’s defense zeroed in on Jalen Brunson with much success in the second half to pull out the road win.
Green praised Jimmy Butler for “playing out of his mind.” But a cloud of uncertainty is hovering above the Heat heading into Game 2 on Tuesday after Butler rolled his ankle late in the series opener. Butler played through pain and finished the game with a double-double (25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists).
Julius Randle’s absence in Game 1 proved to be a factor, but the Knicks failed to hold on to a 12-point lead in the opening half and capitalize on Jimmy Butler’s ankle injury late in the game.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say out of his mind because Jimmy has shown to be that guy,” Green said. “But he’s playing incredible basketball.”
Jimmy Butler’s Swollen Ankle Is ‘Size of a Baseball’
Butler’s status for Game 2 remains in doubt as his swollen ankle is about the size of a baseball, according to the New York Daily News’ Kristian Winfield.
Not gonna take a photo but Jimmy Butler’s ankle is swollen to about the size of a baseball. He just had his ankle taped. That’s gonna be painful in the morning.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra kept mum about his star’s injury and his availability for Game 2.
“Same as [Sunday night],” Spoelstra told reporters after Monday’s practice. “He’s doing treatment around the clock but probably won’t have any update until before [Game 2].”
Tom Thibodeau Defers to Julius Randle, Medical Staff to Make Decision
Randle was sidelined for 17 days after twisting his left ankle on March 29 against the Heat. He wasn’t the same when he returned for the opening round against Cleveland. After re-aggravating that injury, New York coach Tom Thibodeau does not want to gamble on Randle’s future.
“I don’t know how close [Randle was to playing]; I know he worked out before,” Thibodeau told reporters after the Game 1 loss. “I just trust him and the medical staff to make that decision. I planned both ways. I planned both ways. I planned with him going and planned if he didn’t go. Once they make a decision, that’s it, and you live with it and get ready with what you have, and we have more than enough.”
But after the Heat threw a curve ball in Game 1, will Thibodeau and the Knicks pivot to activating Randle in an all-important Game 2 at home?