Knicks' Julius Randle: 'No way I was sitting out' Game 2

GREENBURGH — Julius Randle was voicing all of the right things, whether the questions were about his ankle or his performance in Game 2, shaking off the pain and helping the Knicks to a much-needed win over Miami. And as he said all of the right things he smiled.

“That is a Thibs line, isn’t it?” Randle said. “He brainwashed me, man.”

There was a Tom Thibodeau influence running through the interview after Knicks practice as they prepared for Saturday’s Game 3 in Miami. But it was also a very strong Randle vibe — insisting that nothing would keep him out of the game. It was a sentiment from Randle, but one that certainly could refer to his teammate, Jalen Brunson, and the star on the other side, Miami’s Jimmy Butler — all three spending the time off before Saturday resting and rehabilitating their ankle injuries.

Randle missed Game 1 of the series after spraining his left ankle — an injury that had sidelined him for the final five games of the regular season before he rushed back for Game 1 of the opening round against Cleveland.

And his absence was evident as the Knicks lost at home. While his return was questionable for Game 2, asked Thursday if the decision to play was his or the medical staff’s choice, Randle made clear his intentions.

“Yeah,” Randle said. “There was no way I was sitting out of that one.“

“It’s not really the pain, man. It’s just the getting back on the court. For me, it was not being able to do anything for a while. Getting my conditioning back … the recovery after, all while trying to nurse an injury. So mentally, it’ll take a toll on you. But my wife, my family, everybody in the organization — thankfully for me, I have a great supporting cast.”

Randle had 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in nearly 38 minutes and the numbers don’t even really tell the story of what he contributed. He attacked, forcing the Heat to send a second defender to double team him, and he executed what Thibodeau preaches — letting the game tell him what to do, finding open shooters and forcing the Heat to scramble to chase the ball.

That is what Randle does, forcing teams to use multiple defenders in a way that no other player on the team does. And while sometimes in his tenure in New York he has been criticized for forcing his own shots, he orchestrated this offense early.

“I think the aggressiveness, the pace, and just like letting it come to him and reading the game,” Thibodeau said of what he liked from Randle. “He’s attacking the basket and his versatility is huge for us. And so when the second defender comes, just trust the pass. He’s making a lot of good reads, a lot of good plays. And then the scoring has been a huge factor as well. But I like the aggressiveness.

“The game tells you what to do, so if you're open, shoot. If you’re guarded, make a play. Trust your teammates, understand the value of shots, what shots we’re trying to get. And I think if you do that good things will come from it.”

It did — and it didn’t surprise his teammates to see Randle out there even if the medical staff was uncertain.

“No. I wasn’t,” Josh Hart said. “Because when you’re hurt and in the competitive environment like that, especially with him, who has a great competitive nature, once he’s in that setting it’s just he’s full go and he’s not thinking about it, he’s not letting that dictate his game. He has so much adrenalin going on I’m sure sometimes he didn’t feel it. I’m not surprised at all about how he played. That’s Ju, that’s how he plays. He plays the game with passion, competitiveness and physicality. So I’m not surprised at all. He did an amazing job. We need him to keep doing that for the rest of the playoffs.”

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.