New York Knicks star Julius Randle questioned his teammates' effort after their playoff hopes were pushed to the brink by a relentless Miami Heat on Monday night.
Jimmy Butler continued a stellar post-season, leading the Heat in scoring in a 109-101 win at Kaseya Center to take a 3-1 lead as the series returns to Madison Square Garden for Game Five. But it was the Heat's hustle and dogged work off the glass that made the difference.
They won the rebound battle 44-35 with big man Bam Adebayo racking up a double-double to put Miami within touching distance of the Eastern Conference finals. Rebounding has been a strength for the Knicks all season, but a deflated Randle made a startling admission when he faced the press after game four.
"Maybe they want it more, I don’t know,” Randle said when asked about losing out in the battle for boards, implying the Knicks were found wanting for effort in their biggest game of the season. “That’s (a good rebounding team) been who we are all year, and we’ve got to find a way to step up and make those plays if we want to keep this season alive.”
It was a miserable night for Randle as he fouled out of the game with three minutes and eight seconds remaining in the fourth quarter with the Knicks trailing by seven, meaning he was forced to watch the Heat ease their way to victory from the bench.
The 28-year-old, who went for 20 points and nine rebounds in his 39 minutes, believes he was harshly treated by the officials.
"That was tough," he added. "As far as officiating, that's one of the toughest games I've been a part of. Usually, the physicality in the playoffs is up. I had six fouls and four or five of them were offensive fouls, which has never happened to me in my career, so that's tough."
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was impressive in defeat, turning in a game-leading performance with 32 points and 11 assists, but his post-game press conference captured the mood with five-seed New York on the cusp of an upset series defeat and elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the eighth-seed Heat.
"Everything (has to change), long story short," he said. "We need to be better and I need to be better."
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal does not fancy their chances; he believes the Knicks' playoff race is run.
"This series is over, this is over," he told Inside the NBA. "They may win another game, but if they go back to Miami, bring one set of clothes."
The series returns to Madison Square Garden for game five on Wednesday and it is one the Knicks have to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
