Julius Randle may be one of the last players in the NBA you’d want to be run over by, but that’s exactly what happened to Tom Thibodeau in Miami on Friday night.
Randle drained a disputed fall-away 3-pointer with just over a second left to give the Knicks a 122-120 victory over the Heat.
During the post-game celebration, the six-foot-tall, 250-pound forward bowed over his head coach.
“He’s kind of mad at me right now,” Randle joked after the game. “I need to talk to him.”
Thibodeau said the only Knicks player who helped him was Immanuel Quickley.
After the game, reporters asked Randle about the shot.
“Fate,” he said with a grin. “It honestly felt good when it left my hand. I was in the zone, I think.”
Randle scored 43 points as the Knicks won their eighth straight game and 10th of 12.
“We have a special group and it’s about taking it day by day, step by step,” said Randle.
Thibodeau gushed about the shot after the game.
“Incredible,” he said. “Strong shot – put it in. Tip your hat.”
Thibodeau also praised Randle for helping teammates get good shots.
“I thought they took really good shots for each other – I thought Julius did a lot of that too, where he was the one who created.
“I thought his all-round game was good.”
Thibodeau also had high praise for Jalen Brunson.
“He’s going to give you everything he’s got. You know he’s stubborn,’ said Thibodeau.
“He’s going to make plays. He’s been caught, he keeps going, he never stops.”
The Knicks are 38-27 and are tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the 39-26 Cavaliers for fourth place and home field advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The Knicks’ next game is Monday in Boston against the Celtics.
