Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks shoots over Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
All-Star forward Julius Randle said he is physically fine after a nasty fall during the New York Knicks 107-90 blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. But what wasn’t fine was the flagrant foul that the Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen gave him when the game was already beyond reach.
Allen undercut Randle in his attempt to block the Knicks forward’s dunk in the final 2:22 of the one-sided Game 2. The Knicks are fortunate Randle emerged unscathed after he came down crashing hard on his back, pinned between the floor and the basket stanchion.
Why does Thibs have Julius Randle in the game !?
“I thought it was a little unnecessary,” Randle said during his postgame interview. “When you understand playoff basketball, you don’t give up on plays, and I respect that. I’m somebody who plays hard. I respect that, but typically when you make those kinds of plays, you run across their body, not through them. But it’s fine. It’s irrelevant [now]. We go back to the Garden, and we’ll see them there.”
Allen was overhead on the TNT broadcast, saying it was just a hustle play.
Jarrett Allen after his hard foul on Julius Randle:
“Thats a hustle play, that’s a basketball play”
Dude.
The skirmish was just one of the many physical plays defining this series.
In Game 1, the Knicks bullied their way to a 101-97 win and stole homecourt advantage. On Tuesday night, it was the Cavaliers responding to the challenge.
They pushed and shoved the Knicks back to the corner to even the series with a resounding statement win.
Getty CLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 18: Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks is fouled by Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 18, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio.
The series shifts to New York with Game 3 at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at the Madison Square Garden.
Tom Thibodeau Explains Why He Didn’t Pull out His Starters Earlier
With Randle nearly suffering what could have been a devastating injury, the big question was why he and Jalen Brunson were still on the floor when the outcome had already been settled.
“Actually, we’re going to sub Julius out, but he wanted to stay more for a couple of possessions just to find a rhythm,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said during his postgame interview.
Randle confirmed Thibodeau’s statement.
“Yeah, at that point, I was just trying to get my legs under me, get a little rhythm, but I’ll be fine,” Randle said during his postgame interview.
Randle hasn’t shot well in the first two games of the series after a 17-day layoff due to a sprained left ankle. In Game 1, he had 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting. In Game 2, he had 22 but only shot 8-for-20.
Worse, Randle is also averaging a team-worst 5.5 turnovers in the series. He had six of the team’s 17 turnovers in Game 2, which the Cavaliers exploited.
RJ Barrett Continues to Struggle
The Knicks drew another dud from RJ Barrett, who scored 14 points on a putrid 4-of-13 shooting night.
He’s now a combined 6-of-25 (24%) from the field in the first two games of the series. His outside shot is non-existent, as he only hit 1-of-8 in Cleveland. Not a good look for Barrett, who is set to become the Knicks’ highest-paid player next season.
Barrett entered the playoffs averaging 19.6 points on 43% shooting from the field and 31% from deep.