-Ed-Mulholland-USA-TODAY-Sports-37
(New York) — Just when we thought the Knicks had it figured out, a regression has set in. And add a tiny bit of roast beef on the side.
It’s bad enough that New York last to the Orlando Magic of all teams. Throw in the fact that they rallied from 19 down and still dropped their third straight–and sixth of their last ten–and it’s a tragedy. Once on the doorstep of being fourth in the East, the Knicks are firmly behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and are at risk of slipping down a spot behind a hot (no pun intended) Miami Heat team.
And then there was Julius Randle.
He got his third technical in as many consecutive games at the end of the first half. After time expired and he was on the floor, he rose to his feet and began berating both the officials and his teammate Immanuel Quickley. Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant escorted the All-Star forward off the floor. After the game, the Knicks locker room was closed for a good 40 minutes and Randle had no media availability.
“It’s just right now our team, just we’re out of sorts. And so you have to pull together, when you go through rough times,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You get into things together, you get out of things together.”
While not at the level of his March 11th tantrum versus the Clippers, Randle has almost as many techs as he got last year (one shy). The words that commentator Mike Breen claimed Quickley said in their altercation–that his outbursts needed to stop–are pertinent for a Knicks team dangerously close to losing their way.
