Knicks’ postseason hopes will hinge on Julius Randle’s health

The same Garden fans who booed Julius Randle last year were trying to pick him up this time, trying to lift him back into the fight. This was late in the second quarter of Knicks 101, Heat 92, right after the Jumbotron showed Randle’s left foot landing on Bam Adebayo’s left foot after the home team’s All-Star had grabbed a rebound.

The replay showed Randle’s ankle rolling over almost to the floor. Everybody in the building who had ever played organized or pickup ball immediately felt the power forward’s pain, and let out a collective oooooooooohhhh that rose from their toes.

Randle was down and grabbing his left leg. “No, no,” some fans cried from the upper deck. “Walk it off, walk it off,” others pleaded.

Randle twice slapped the floor and started writhing in pain as Tom Thibodeau looked more and more concerned near the bench. The Knicks’ leading scorer and rebounder was finally pulled to his feet before he dismissed those who were trying to help him walk, before he headed alone toward midcourt as the crowd cheered him. Randle turned and slowly hobbled toward the stanchion near the Knicks’ bench, and used it to stretch out his legs as the fans chanted “M-V-P … M-V-P.”

After making one of two foul shots, a limping Randle headed past the Miami bench, past a row of security guards and into the tunnel. On his way to the locker room, Randle doubled over and grabbed his left leg again, as if it really, really hurt. He was ruled out with what the Knicks called a sprained left ankle.

Julius Randle holds his left ankle after suffering the injury late in the second half of the Knicks’ 101-92 win over the Heat. He did not return.Bally Sports

What a nightmare. What a stroke of dreadful pre-playoff luck.

“We’ve got to make up for him collectively,” Tom Thibodeau said.

File that under much easier said than done.

Randle has been an ironman for the Knicks for three seasons, starting 77 out of 77 games this year. To see him go down like that was to feel the fragility of a promising run reveal itself in real time.

Thibodeau said Randle will be evaluated Thursday to assess the damage, but the head coach sounded like a man counting on his guy to miss some time. How much time is unknown, but an ankle sprain is one thing and a high ankle sprain is another, especially with only five games to go before the real season begins.

“I know Julius is a fighter,” Jalen Brunson said. “He’s a competitor. He’s going to do everything he can to make sure he’s ready to go. But I’m not that concerned.”

A lot of other people in the building were that concerned, and what a shame it was. This should’ve been a night to celebrate what effectively was the clinching of a playoff spot. This should’ve been a night to celebrate the fact that the Knicks had put a chokehold on fifth place in the Eastern Conference, a seed that would likely keep them clear of Philly in the first round and set them up for an ultra-winnable series with Cleveland and a familiar friend.

Julius Randle tries to test his ankle injury before being forced to leave the game.Robert Sabo for NY Post

Westchester County’s biggest Mets fan, Donovan Mitchell, badly wanted to come home. The Knicks tried and failed to make it happen in the offseason, and that’s OK. They look good enough to beat Mitchell and the Cavs and advance to the conference semis.

But not if Randle can’t be Randle in that series. Not if his ankle compromises his game and puts too much stress on Brunson, who’s got injury concerns of his own.

Though Brunson said he felt “fantastic” out there, he looked like half the star he’s been all year, when healthy. He’s dealing with a sprained right hand and the lingering effects of a foot injury, and never saw the floor in the fourth quarter.

The Knicks can’t survive for long in the playoffs with their two best players going at limited speed. As one of the best free-agent signings in the recent history of New York sports, Brunson has been a godsend for a franchise that has been searching forever for an elite point guard. Randle has been the kind of dominant force he was two seasons ago, in large part because of Brunson.

“It’s part of the game, injuries, you deal with it,” Thibodeau said. “And now just focus on the rehab and get back as soon as you can. … Obviously when you have a guy who’s averaging 25 points and 10 rebounds and five assists, and doing the things that he’s doing, you’re not replacing him with an individual player.”

Julius Randle limps after suffering an ankle injury that kept him from returning.Robert Sabo for NY Post

Thibs spoke hopefully of the Obi Toppins and Josh Harts getting it done in Randle’s spot. But there was absolutely no bright side to this, other than how the fans rallied around Randle.

Last season, fed up with the booing and the calls for Toppin, Randle gave the crowd a thumbs-down borrowed from the Mets’ playbook at Citi Field. Asked later what he meant by the gesture, Randle responded that he wanted the fans “to shut the f–k up.”

They didn’t shut up Wednesday night. By trying to lift Randle, the fans were trying to save the whole operation. They left the Garden hoping and praying that this potentially special season had not suddenly become a season on the brink.