NBA-Playoffs: New York Knicks um Randle

It wasn’t too long ago that the fans of the New York Knicks were to be found at home games with cardboard bags over their heads.

It was her way of dealing with her team’s poor performance. After all, their Big Apple franchise had been the laughing stock of the league for years.

In the past 20 years, the team reached the playoffs only twice – and even lost more than 70 percent of their games in the past six seasons.

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Another low point followed last year when the previous season had already ended for the Knicks. The record was too bad to even be invited to the Disney World bubble.

Knicks: Playoff start with home advantage

But only twelve months later the team has undergone a remarkable change and has become a big surprise from the chaos team.

In April, the franchise even started a series of nine wins, moving up to fourth place in the West. (Tables of the NBA)

This place was narrowly defended and so the Knicks even have home rights in the first round. It’s up against the Atlanta Hawks, against whom New York won all three games this season.

And suddenly the founding member of the NBA, who also scored the first basket, is back in focus. After 1970 and 1973, some fans are already dreaming of the third title – which is probably a bit premature.

Trainer Thibodeau is the architect

Nevertheless, the question remains: How did the fairytale development come about?

The rise is mainly associated with two names: Tom Thibodeau and Julius Randle.

Thibodeau is the Knicks’ trainer and took on a big job last fall. The veteran ex-coach of the Bulls and Timberwolves has brought the sleeping giant back on track.

As so often in his career, Thibodeau is particularly on the defensive, which pays off: New York is defensively the fourth-best team in the entire league. (Schedule for the 2020/21 NBA season)

Knicks: Randle with a meteoric rise

Offensively, Thibodeau unleashed his star Randle. The ex-Lakers player really flourishes under Thibodeau and is likely to be named Most Improved Player, i.e. the professional with the greatest leap in performance. (Knicks crack a sound barrier)

As the first player in Knicks history, the 26-year-old was able to complete the regular season with an average of 20 points, ten rebounds and six assists per game. He has managed more matches with more than 40 points this season than in his previous six seasons together.

In addition, the left-hander is the first NBA player in history who, according to statistics expert Justin Kubatko, allowed a three-man hit rate from under 30 percent to climb to over 40 percent in the following game year.

“That’s the big thing that he added the threesome to his repertoire,” Thibodeau said of Randle’s increase: “That changed everything else.”

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“Ju sets the pace, he puts pressure on the ring, pressure on the opposing defense – and we’re just trying to play around him,” Derrick Rose describes the situation.

Ex-MVP Rose leads the offensive

The ex-MVP came from the Detroit Pistons in February and also shines from the bank. Rose is even the Knicks’ second weapon on the offensive.

The playmaker was named Rookie of the Year and MVP for the Bulls under Thibodeau, before missing several years due to severe knee injuries. Now the 32-year-old Rose is playing the best year in a long time and is making optimal use of Randle.

In addition to the two leaders, two youngsters are also convincing.

RJ Barrett averages 17.7 points per game and hits 39.9 percent of threes. The 20-year-old also often defends the best guards of the opponents and slows them down. With Immanuel Quickley, the Knicks have a young specialist in floaters. The 21-year-old masters the one-handed throws like few.

This combination makes the Knicks in the playoffs a real challenge for every opponent.

LeBron James as a fan of the Knicks

When the playoffs return to the legendary Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2013, it will certainly be without fans with paper bags over their heads. Because the fans’ love for their team has blossomed again.

“It’s like watching a movie premiere or watching a show. The energy of the crowd is completely insane. And we are at ten percent of the seats. It feels like a completely full arena,” enthuses Randle.

It is often Randle who gives the fans reason to cheer. The Knicks have even gained a very prominent fan. It’s none other than LeBron James. He tweeted: “The league is better off if the Knicks win.”

In the end they finally did that again regularly. Now the Knicks just have to show whether they can repeat these victories in the playoffs.

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