Julus Randle, Knicks Fans Mending Relationship Amid Success
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A thumbs-down gesture becoming the turning point of a successful professional sports campaign? Only in New York, folk ... only in New York.
The silent yet deadly negative review already changed the course of one season five years prior: outfielder Todd Frazier adopted the gesture upon joining the New York Yankees in 2017 and it became the trademark symbol of the team's unexpected run to the American League Championship Series. Last January, thumbs once again faced downward in a winning metropolitan effort, but the good feelings were far from lasting.
This thumb was a damper on victorious proceedings, rather than a tongue-in-cheek rally cry. It became symbolic of the New York Knicks' disappointing follow-up to a fourth-seeded run in the NBA's Eastern Conference playoff run, as frustration boiled over between long-suffering fans of the blue and orange and the breakout star of that trek, Julius Randle. Even a victorious occasion ... an RJ Barrett-induced, last-second victory over the hated Boston Celtics ... carried negative connotations for the Knicks, as Randle responded to cheers from fans after hitting a clutch shot with a downward finger.
Finding the cheers to be sarcastic after struggling for the majority of the 108-105 win, Randle said he meant to convey a message of "Shut the f*** up." Fans obliged, with Madison Square Garden becoming mostly dormant as the Knicks played out the stretch of an eventual 37-win season that finished seven games short of even the mere Play-In Tournament.
Over 10 months later, Randle is still working on fully regaining the unanimous love of Knicks fans back. His early returns in the 2022-23 season, however, certainly help.
The Garden is once again blooming as a premier hardwood destination in the early stages of the Knicks' latest rebuild chapter, one that has yielded three consecutive season-opening victories in Manhattan for the first time in a decade. Randle leads the way by averaging a team-best 20.3 points over the first four games of the year.
New York (3-1) has had plenty of men, both in the Randle/Barrett/Jalen Brunson-led starting five and beyond, step up in the sweep of a three-game homestand, which ended with a 134-131 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. Randle is ready to bestow a special assist beyond the hardwood, however, one that could serve as an unspoken peace offering through a relatively awkward near-year.
"You hear the energy," Randle said of the rejuvenated fanbase, per the New York Post. "It’s great to feel the energy from the crowd. (We're) just staying in the moment, just trying to win the game ... (but) you hear it, obviously."
Randle was referring to the Garden's volume during the final stages of Wednesday's win, where accolades were anything but sarcastic as the Knicks took home a big early-season win. The triumph over the Hornets put the team multiple games over .500 for the first time since last November.
Though Randle did struggle from the field, shooting 7-of-19, he drew some of the loudest cheers of the night by putting back a rare Brunson misfire in the final minute of regulation, a second chance that gave the Knicks a late lead. While Charlotte did fight back to force an extra session, Randle nonetheless came through big in the following five minutes, sinking a shot clock-beating lay-up that put the Knicks up three with just over 19 seconds remaining.
Perhaps echoing the camaraderie frequently on display in MSG's seats, Randle credits the new chemistry he's building with headliners old and new. Randle, Barrett, and Brunson, each armed with new nine-figure contracts (Randle playing the first year of a $117 million extension), are the undeniable faces of Knicks basketball moving forward. It's
"For (Brunson) to take that pressure off me is huge,” Randle said in another report from The Post. “I’m just trying to lose myself in the team. Lean on guys like (Brunson), RJ, just play for my team. The only thing that matters is winning."
The Knicks return to action on Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks on the road (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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