Another night, another low-energy loss has the New York Knicks on the brink of elimination

I’ve rarely been more embarrassed than when I sat down this morning, opened Google and typed in “What does an engine do?” But that’s just the reality of dealing with engine failure. Just ask the New York Knicks, who lost a second straight game to the Miami Heat on Monday night, 109-101, thanks in large part (but not entirely) to a lackluster effort from Julius Randle. Now they head back to Madison Square Garden down three games to one for Game 5 tomorrow. I’m not going into the mechanics of the bit, so if that’s why you’re here, I’ll instead point those of you with X’s-and-O’s for your bedroom wallpaper to two excellent threads by my colleagues.

Firstly, on Randle’s frustrating first quarter effort, one not without consequences:

Secondly, on a team that made more mental lapses than baskets. Or at least, it felt that way:

Notes

• There is no way to discuss this game without first discussing Randle, who by box-score standards finished with a second straight solid outing: 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists, though he did foul out with three minutes remaining. Let me be clear: outside of a few timely buckets, Randle’s primary role in this loss was that of the catalyst. There are games your team loses and there are games the other team won. Game 4 was as much a loss for Julius Randle as it was a victory for the Miami Heat. This was the 12th game of his Knicks career with five or more turnovers and five or more fouls. Unsurprisingly, New York is just 4-8 in those games. Because, as Tom Thibodeau has refused to let this fan base forget, Randle is this team’s engine. If he can’t go, they can’t go. If he won’t go, they won’t go. Last night I’m not sure he ever even contemplated going. It’s equally likely that Randle is already in Cancun, mentally.

• Hitching your wagon to a star that could (and almost willingly does) collapse on the toughest stretch of any journey has always been a risky proposition, yet it’s one the Knicks have consciously entertained since that summer of 2019. But it wasn’t until Game 4 in this series that the wagon was tasked with pulling the star.

• As a palette cleanser, please enjoy the beautiful euro and English from Jalen Brunson:

• There’s a lot that can be said about Brunson’s first three quarters in this one, but I’d rather focus on the fourth, when he had 13 points and two assists despite being guarded by no fewer than three Heat defenders at any given moment. He remains every bit the show this New York front office bought tickets for last summer.

• Quentin Grimes may have finished with only nine points, but returning him to the starting lineup over Josh Hart paid dividends. Look no further than Brunson, who found his way to the cup time and time again, and without obstruction, thanks to the spacing Grimes provides. Fans were questioning if Brunson’s ankle had finally healed, when in reality, it was his environment that needed treatment. The only question now is whether or not the adjustment was two games too late. I’m afraid we all know the answer.

• I’ll go ahead and state the obvious: Miles McBride is not Immanuel Quickley. That’s why when prompted during a TV timeout ahead of the second quarter, Thibodeau said he would supplant the non-Brunson minutes by playing Hart and RJ Barrett with the second unit. Quickley was missed last night. He’s been missed all series.

• If you’re looking for a name without a face to blame for last night’s loss, look no further than one Mr. Rebounding, first name Offensive. Your box score leaders from Game 4: Mitchell Robinson (4); Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin (3); Kyle Lowry, Isaiah Hartenstein (2).

• I plan on writing at length about this later, but kudos to Barrett, who put together another solid playoff game after a chaotic regular season. He’s now averaging 19.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists through nine playoff games, and shooting well enough with a 45/34/72 split. He’s come a long way in a drastically short amount of time, and has without a doubt been the most consistent player in a New York jersey.

• Hart was inarguably the worst player to suit up for the Knicks, given how many minutes he played and where exactly those minutes took place. He finished with as many fouls (six) as points and rebounds combined. I’m not sure there was one play he made outside of a first quarter and-none – he was fouled making a basket but missed the subsequent free throw – that could be considered a positive. I trust he’ll bounce back. 

• I want to give a lot of credit to Bam Adebayo, who didn’t scare me even half as much as prior to this series as he does now. He was every bit the aggressive big we saw in Miami’s trailblazing trip to the 2020 NBA Finals in Game 4, finishing with 23 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and a steal in 38 minutes. He’s rediscovered his groove and is playing Robin to Jimmy Butler’s Batman almost perfectly. (Ed. note: Bam gives Nighwing vibes. Tyler Herro is Tim Drake. Caleb Martin = Jason Todd)

• If it weren’t for the steady flow of feces flowing down Randle’s leg at all times in both this series and the last, I’d say Obi Toppin’s days in New York were finally on a numeric countdown. But it seems, as it always has, the window has re-opened for the former eighth overall pick. He played only five and a half minutes, and for the first time in months I felt less Obi was a warranted tactic from Thibs. He looks as lost as ever.

• If you’re a longtime reader of my postgames, you know I don’t play the blame-the-referees card. If you don’t put yourself in position for the game to be decided by the officials, you’ll win nine times out of ten. And while last night’s game may be the low hanging fruit opportunity I’d need to do so, I’m going to refrain, outside of this: Kyle Lowry finishing the night with only one foul is downright comical.

Julius Randle couldn’t be bothered to be embarrassed when he sat down postgame and, in response to a media question, said, “Maybe they just want it more.” Driving down the highway, nearly home, the New York Knicks see it for the first time. The check engine light is flashing.