Julius Randle #30 of the Knicks warms up before the game against the Atlanta Hawks during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden on May 26, 2021. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa
A good hour and a half before the biggest game of his professional career, Julius Randle was the lone Knick player on the court.
Randle took shot after shot with Knicks assistant coach Kenny Payne sometimes pushing on him physically and sometimes challenging him mentally. This is something the two do before every game, though this time the routine seemed to take on a new sense of urgency and intensity.