MIAMI — The difference was there on Saturday. Obvious to the eye.
Jimmy Butler, a competitor and clutch performer at his core, returning from an ankle injury, embracing and enjoying the moment, carrying the Miami Heat because victory was non-negotiable.
Smart, deliberate, winning basketball.
On the other side was New York’s All-Star, Julius Randle, settling for difficult shots and misfiring, moving at ¾ speed on defense and carrying the posture of a player ready for Cabo.
The Game 3 blowout loss ended for Randle, fittingly, with a missed 3-pointer and a South Beach stroll back on defense, allowing Miami’s Cody Zeller to leak out for a breakaway dunk. Randle was immediately subbed out and his latest playoff dud was complete: 10 points, 4-of-15 shooting, four turnovers and two assists.
At the risk of invading Captain Obvious’s turf, the Knicks need more from Randle. They got through the first round because Jalen Brunson was brilliant, Mitchell Robinson dominated the glass and Cleveland cowered.
But the Miami Heat, equipped with the maniacally competitive Butler, the defensive versatility of Bam Adebayo and arguably the best coach of the generation in Erik Spoelstra, neutralized those advantages.
Tom Thibodeau’s offense deteriorated Saturday into a series of halfcourt misadventures, leaving the Knicks in a 2-1 series hole heading into a Monday game in Miami they desperately need to win.
Which brings us to Randle.
The power forward has demonstrated, with a growing sample size, a proclivity for coming up tiny in the playoffs. His 12 career postseason games, which dates back to the 2020 series against Atlanta, produced the following averages: 16.4 points, 3.8 turnovers and 3.8 assists, 32% shooting overall, 23% from 3-pointers.
The contrast to Randle’s regular season figures — which provided the Knicks their only two All-Star appearances of the last five years — is alarming. The same player who averaged over 25 points on 46% shooting this season — who scored 57 points in a game — has been nullified by the moment.
It’s not a luxury the Knicks can afford with Brunson also struggling.
“Some of the looks are different. Defense is a little bit tighter,” Randle said of the playoffs. “So I’ve got to do a better job of finding ways to execute off of that.”
As Thibodeau has repeatedly preached, he wants more movement from the offense. He wants Randle barreling to the hoop with a full head of steam. Randle’s slow-developing isolations in halfcourt aren’t just aesthetically displeasing, they’re simply not working in the playoffs — especially against Miami and Adebayo.
“Their defense is very good,” Thiboddeau said. “There’s going to be two and three guys around you and then you’ve got to read the game and just trust the pass. But when we get into situations where we can drive-pass-pass and get him the ball where he’s in open space, then he’s going to score efficiently.”
Some dropoff might be expected since Randle is coming off two ankle sprains in the last 5 ½ weeks. But there’s also the troubling carryover to Randle’s defense, which was apparent in his slow rotations Saturday.
It wasn’t as glaring a quit as Game 4 against Cleveland — when Thibodeau took the step of benching Randle for the fourth quarter — but his lazy movements and slow rotations were numerous enough to take notice.
“I’ll be fine,” Randle said Sunday.
At this point, it’d be silly to take his word for it. Randle has to show it in the big moment Monday night. Time is running out on his redemption.