Knicks' Julius Randle Mum on 'Thibs' Decision' in 4th Quarter of Game 4

The relatively sidelined Julius Randle is pleased with the New York Knicks' success in the NBA Playoffs thus far but would "obviously" prefer being on the floor.

If you told New York Knicks fans that Julius Randle would be shooting just over 32 percent and averaging less than 20 points a game in an NBA Playoff series that stood at 3-1, how many would correctly guess that his and their team would be the one ahead?

That's the story so far in the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, which can end on Wednesday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse if New York prevails in Game 5 of the best-of-seven set (7 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV). The Knicks jumped out to the fateful 3-1 series lead with a 102-93 victory at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Missing from the clinching stages of Sunday's win, one of the biggest Knick victories at MSG in recent metropolitan memory, was Randle, who was held out of the fourth quarter entirely. His minutes were instead dispensed to Obi Toppin, who hauled in five rebounds and was a plus-7 on the floor in a frame the Knicks won 29-22. 

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau primarily blamed the lingering aftershocks of Randle's late ankle injury, one that cost him the final five games of the regular season, for his late departure. The issue gained further life when Randle did not speak publicly after the Game 4 victory, a move that earned the ire of TNT analyst and NBA legend Charles Barkley. 

Charles Barkley had criticisms for Julius Randle declining to talk to media after Sunday's game. "You don't get to talk to the press just when things are going good. ...That's very disappointing from a hell of a player who's a good dude." pic.twitter.com/XQv5YUNfUN

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 25, 2023

Randle broke his silence as the Knicks prepared for Game 5, more or less negating the idea that the late injury was affecting his play. He's obviously pleased with the Knicks' victory, as point guard Jalen Brunson declared that his Sunday "demeanor was great," Randle couldn't help but express a desire to be on the floor for such big wins.

"At the end of the day, I just want to win,” Randle said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “I’m a competitor. Obviously, I would like to play, you know? But like I said, it’s Thibs’ decision.”

Randle's resurgence after a disappointing follow-up to a Most Improved Player campaign helped carry the Knicks to their current settings in the East's fifth seed. He averaged a double-double at 25.1 points and 10 rebounds in 77 appearances, helping to mask some shortcomings from other high-profile talents (i.e. Toppin, RJ Barrett).

The roles have reversed during the series with the Cavs: Randle is averaging 14.8 points and seven rebounds, his shooting at the foul line turning equally problematic (64 percent). Toppin, who took over Randle's spot in the starting five over the final regular season games, has earned valuable late minutes while Barrett might've retaken control of his New York destiny with 45 points on over 56 percent shooting in the Knicks' clean sweep of an MSG-based weekend. 

Some theorized that Randle's defense played a role in his mandated departure, which came after he played all 12 minutes of a third quarter that Cleveland won 26-19. The Knicks salvaged the frame when Brunson's late triple gave them what turned out to be an almost permanent lead (save for a 12-second tie in the fourth) but the Cavs needed less than six minutes to erase the Knicks' nine-point halftime advantage, opening the frame on an 18-7 run.

Asked if he felt his defensive effort was lacking in that potentially fateful stretch, Randle left that for listeners to decide, remarking “That’s for you to judge” according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post.

For his part, Thibodeau said that Randle's benching was not meant to single him out for the near-collapse in the third quarter. 

“(It was) not just (Julius), it was our team," Thibodeau said in the Daily News. "The way we came out to start the third, we didn’t play well as a team,” he said. “The bottom line is you’ve got to win the game, and in the fourth quarter, we ended up going on a run, and so you ride it out."

To Thibodeau's point, a unit primarily consisting of Brunson, Barrett, Toppin, Josh Hart, and Isaiah Hartenstein allowed the Knicks to lead by as much as 11 in the fourth, sealing the deal with a 22-12 breakout after Cleveland's aforementioned tie.  

“Those guys were playing well. I think the lead went from three or four to 10. So you know, you’ve got to ride it. You’ve got to make a tough decision, but you’re always going to put the team first.”

According to teammates, Randle appears to be doing just that, even in relative exile.

"He’s been a leader on and off the floor. We rally with him, we roll with him," Brunson said, per the Daily News. "That’s our guy. Just how he composed himself was fantastic. He was as big part of us winning as anyone else, just because of how he was handling himself as a leader. He’s been great all year.”

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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