Knicks 95, Cavaliers 86: “What the hell has gotten into Randle?”
The Knicks went on the road after a big upset over the Bucks, and Julius Randle delivered a triple-double en route to the Knicks’ second straight win. Shwinnypooh catches you up on the highs and lows of this early-season slugfest with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Break up the Knicks! After thoroughly embarrassing the Fighting Giannises on Sunday in the friendly (and quiet) confines of Madison Square Garden, the Knicks bludgeoned their way to a road victory in Cleveland over a previously undefeated Cavaliers team on Tuesday night, leading virtually the entire way.
Unlike the surprising snooze-fest of a win against the Bambis, this was anything but a walk in the park. The Knicks stretched the lead to 32-16 early in the second quarter, powered by the all-around brilliance — yes, brilliance — of Julius Randle. The big man was dishing and swishing, posting and toasting, and styling and profiling in a 14 point, five assist, and five rebound first quarter that would make Nikola Jokic blush.
It was a good thing, because aside from Reggie Bullock, the rest of the starters struggled to get into any kind of groove. RJ Barrett in particular was guilty of poor decision making, shooting when he should have passed, and forcing passes he had no business attempting to begin with.
However, he wasn’t the only Knick with the knack for tossing the ball away as they stumbled their way into sixteen first half turnovers. The giveaways gave the Cavs the oxygen needed to get up off the mat just when it seemed they might be ready to roll over on a cold December night, as they overcame their shooting woes to claw their way back into the contest, eventually tying it at 40. The Knicks surged to a 53-46 lead courtesy of a Damian Lillard-esque buzzer-beating triple from Reggie Bullock before the break.
When play resumed after the break, the game continued in similar fashion, with the Knicks living off of Randle’s strong play offensively (while also taking after 2019-20 Randle in carelessly tossing away possessions with sloppy turnovers) and the Cavs struggling to put the ball in the basket.
While the Knicks were never quite able to put the Cavs away, they were in control the entire way. They maintained a 7-point cushion heading into the fourth and inched their way into a double-digit lead early on. The nail in the coffin came with 2:51 left in the game, as Randle spun into the middle of the floor and kicked to Bullock for an open look from the top of the key, on the exact type of possession you’d have bet money on him dribbling off his dick into a backbreaking turnover last year. This year he just puts the bow on a much deserved triple-double that powered the Knicks to a win.
Of course, there were some late-game histrionics as the Knicks struggled a bit with Cleveland’s pressure defense, but the Knicks’ own suffocating defense was more than enough to keep the Cavs at a safe distance, despite New York’s struggles. A very professional performance from a short-handed Knicks team, pulling them to .500 through their first four games and giving them the their first bonafide win streak of the Tom Thibodeau era.
Notes
I’ve been as critical of Julius Randle as anybody. I’ve argued for months that his play style is a hindrance to the development of our young players, and that he was a selfish, stat-padding, no-defense gollum we desperately needed to get rid of. I also have said about a billion times that there’s little chance he can play himself into a significant positive value trade asset. I’m here to tell you now that if these first four games are any indication, I was dead fucking wrong about all of that. What he’s doing now is nothing short of spectacular. Yes, the turnovers tonight weren’t great, and nearly got him a quadruple-double rather than just the triple, but these aren’t annoying turnovers coming as the result of him bogging the offense down for his own purposes. These are turnovers in the service of getting the ball moving and genuinely looking to create for his teammates by making the right play, not just as a last resort. Will it hold up? I don’t know, but for as long as it does, I’m giving the man the flowers he deserves.
Randle’s play has been so good that the Strickland Slack had a big circle jerk about it after he hit Bullock in the corner on a fast break:
RJ had a rough game. The 3-point shot still won’t drop, and the rim reads that Thibs has talked about endlessly weren’t great. When the Knicks had the chance to knock the Cavs out in the second quarter, his questionable decision making was a major factor in getting Cleveland back into the game.
Elfrid Payton had an odd game. He did a lot of good things with his penetration, and some of his playmaking was excellent, but he missed a bunch of bunnies and his end-of-game decision making left a lot to be desired given his status as the starting point guard as things stand.
On a positive note, I’m a big fan of Elf’s willingness to shoot from the corners when he’s left open. His two corner triples today came at key stages of the game and are shots he absolutely has to take. Seems like something that the coaching staff has drilled into him. I like it.
Ok, but seriously, Julius Randle’s passing has been incredible.
Frank Ntilikina only played 16 minutes, but they were a good-ass 16 minutes. He drilled a triple without hesitation after a kick-out from Randle in the first half, and showed some of the pick-and-roll verve that he was flashing last season. Most importantly, he played with force and was engaged throughout on both ends. It wasn’t his best performance as a pro, but it was the performance of a pro. Simplicity and solidity are good things, and thus far since he’s been inserted back into the rotation over the last two games, he’s providing both.
Frank’s defense was tangibly impactful when he was on the court. Darius Garland and Collin Sexton didn’t have great nights anyway after scorching hot starts to the season, but they were especially listless when matched up with Ntilikina. They had ZERO interest in testing him off the dribble, and that unwillingness bogged down their offense.
But yo, when Thibs gives you the thumbs up to take the technical free throw, make that shit.
Kevin Knox hit a couple of threes, didn’t do anything too fucking stupid on defense, and threw one of the worst transition lob attempts I’ve ever seen in my life. He was a team high +14 in his 16 minutes, but that seemed more the consequence of what others were doing on the court rather than a statement on his own effectiveness. He wasn’t bad and this isn’t a criticism, but it was a fairly nondescript performance.
Mitchell Robinson really struggled at various points with the Cavs’ bigs, who are all much girthier than him. While he was often in good position on rebounds, he’s got to do the physical work beforehand and not just try to out-jump guys like Andre Drummond and JaVale McGee on the defensive glass. Those dudes are canny as rebounders and much too strong for him to get away with not using his ass to really box them out when the shot goes up.
Still, Mitch’s defense remains super impactful, and it was noticeable how uncomfortable the Cavs’ wings and guards were going up for shots in the paint as he lurked. The numbers aren’t eye-popping, but if you can’t see his defensive impact, I can’t help you.
When Reggie Bullock makes threes, he’s a very useful player. Tonight he hit five of his nine attempts from downtown. With such a shooting-deficient starting lineup, that’s the stuff that gives it some life. The seven rebounds and some incredibly spry defense on Sexton throughout were also key contributions to the win.
Nerlens Noel did some really nice things defensively, but holy fucking hell does he have the worst hands in the history of hands.
The Knicks got fortunate early in the game that the Cavs didn’t make them pay on a bunch of numerous open threes, but those open looks disappeared as the game went on. Don’t let dickweed losers like John Hollinger tell you the Knicks were just lucky that the Cavs were bricking wide open shots the whole game. The ’Bockers played increasingly on a string as the game went on and didn’t give the Cavs a single fucking thing easy. There was no offensive knockout punch, but the Knicks won that game with a steady barrage of defensive body blows.
Sexland is a horrible nickname. Rest in piss.
Andre Drummond’s better than he gets credit for since he’s become a meme, but he’s really very annoying and unpleasant as an opponent. It seems like he’s been trying very hard to get inside Mitch’s head when they’ve squared off this year, and Mitch increasingly isn’t taking the bait. That’s good to see.
I was looking forward to seeing Isaac Okoro, but alas, he was injured. Maybe next time.
I’m impressed with how much more solid the Cavs look on defense this season. Sure, it helps playing the Knicks, and it’s only been four games, but they seem way more invested into actually giving a shit on that end this year.
I’m genuinely stunned by the amount of ball and player movement Tom Thibodeau has got the Knicks going through through the first four games. When you lack star talent and a clear-cut quality primary initiator, it needs to be a team effort, and the Knicks have had it thus far. They’re still going to have stretches where shit gets bogged down, as we’ve seen for long stretches through the first four games, and turnovers are going to be an issue throughout, but the process of what they’re attempting to achieve looks good to me.
Running an eight-man rotation and getting a relatively comfortable win on the road against a surprisingly spunky Cavaliers team is a seriously impressive performance from the whole team, coaches and players alike.
Thibs started the fourth quarter with an Elf/Frank/RJ/Knox/Noel lineup. They did well in limited minutes. I’d like to see more of that.
Alec Burks’ shot creation is sorely missed, but it’s nice to see the Knicks able to find a way to grind their way to an ugly win. That showed quite a bit of character when they could have easily been forgiven for a letdown after an impressive victory over Thanasis’ younger brother.
I’m still very excited for Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin to return and give the Knicks some real depth and options.
I’m much less excited about any possible Dennis Smith Jr. return.
I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy with a Knicks coach in recent memory as I was when Thibs absolutely lit into Mitch late in the fourth when he committed a sloppy turnover with a careless inbound violation. That’s how you nip any potential complacency in the bud. I was also pleased that Mitch responded instantly with a great block on the ensuing defensive possession.
So the Knicks, tied with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets at 2-2, moved one game back of the division-leading Philadelphia 76ers. Quoth Ted: “What the hell has gotten into Randle?” Good question, and one I hope we stay confused by throughout the season. Winning games is fun, and it’s how you create a culture worth a damn. The Knicks are still going to lose plenty, but if they play like they have been, with the team leaning on each other like they have, especially over the last two games, then this may finally be the foundation we’ve needed to be built finally taking root. Hit the music!
