Knicks fans have nothing ‘to worry about’ with Julius Randle’s braids in place
NY Post
The Knicks’ first postseason game-day in eight years has arrived, and in case any fans were worried – or superstitious – breakout star Julius Randle’s hairstyle is on point for Game 1 against the Hawks.
After little-used guard Theo Pinson assured fans Friday on social media that he would make sure Randle got his customary braids done in time for the series opener, the All-Star forward and Most Improved Player finalist allowed before Sunday’s game that braiding his hair “might be” a superstition for him after all of the success he and the Knicks enjoyed during their 41-31 regular-season finish. “Theo won’t let me slack. If it’s not a superstition for me, which it might be, it definitely is for my teammates, it definitely is for Theo,” Randle said with a laugh after the team’s morning shootaround. “So I guess Knicks fans don’t have anything to worry about, because Theo said if my hair is ever not braided, he’ll braid it himself.”It was only a three-second glimpse, but Matt Rempe, finally, showcased offensive strides. The ones he started talking about in the preseason — after a summer’s worth of work — and kept doubling down on, even when he fluctuated in and out of the Rangers lineup and shuttled back and forth to AHL Hartford.
In a different time, in a season to come, we may be inclined to wax poetic about the way this one played out. In a different time, in a season to come, the Nets will be seeking to stack wins and not losses, will be fighting for playoff seeding and not for a few extra ping-pong balls in the draft lottery this spring.
The NBA has an All-Star Game problem. Despite Adam Silver’s efforts to inject juice into the February showcase — including a format alteration to the 2025 game that is too confusing to attempt to understand before it’s inevitably changed again — there’s little interest in watching teams eschew defense for a series of layup line highlights. That also means the most entertaining part of the NBA All-Star Game is just like the Pro Bowl — debating over who should get a spot.