NCAA Tournament, Knicks, Nets, Rose

Knicks Clinch Playoff Berth Amidst Julius Randle Injury

Following a dreadful three-game losing streak, the Knicks desperately needed to string together some wins to avoid being caught by the Nets and Heat for the fifth seed. New York stood tall to the task at hand, as they rattled off four straight wins. In their final game Sunday against the Wizards, New York officially clinched a playoff berth and they can clinch the fifth seed with one more win in their next three games.

Not everything could be perfect for New York though, as Julius Randle went down with a left ankle sprain. It was a devastating injury to see as Randle has been the ultimate iron-man all year for New York. He played in all 77 games leading up to this injury and in doing so has had his best season of his career.

The potential good news in all of this is that Randle will be re-evaluated in two weeks and will make a decision on whether he is ready to return or not. The injury was sustained on March 29th, and round one of the playoffs officially begins on April 15th. So if all goes well leading up to the re-evaluation, Randle could be ready just in time for the playoffs to begin.

If that is the case, this could be a huge boost for Randle and the Knicks as it has been evident prior to the injury that this long season has started to drain Randle. There is not a single player of Randle's caliber who has not missed a game all season long. Also, the physical nature of Randle's game certainly does not help the wear and tear a season has on him. As long as there are no setbacks in his re-evaluation, Randle could be getting a much needed break right before the playoffs. But until then, New York will have to continue their next man up mentality.

Knicks Depth Continues To Shine

With Randle missing a game for the first time this year, it would be reasonable to expect that there would be some struggles for the Knicks to adjust to life without him. That would not be close to the case. When Randle went down in the 2nd quarter against the Heat, the Knicks did not falter at all. New York won the second half by seven points and won the enormous matchup 101-92.

Immanuel Quickley's progression into a leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate has been an absolute godsend for New York this year. On Monday against the Rockets, Quickley scored 40 points on 14-18 from the field and 5-7 from the three-point line. He also chipped in nine assists while stepping in for Jalen Brunson who was out with injury.

Against the Heat when Randle went down, Quickley yet again stepped up for for New York. Quickley scored 24 points off the bench in another efficient shooting performance as he was 8-14 from the field. It seems that with this recent stretch of performances, Quickley will be winning Sixth Man of the Year in due time. He has been productive in every spot New York has asked of him, whether that be off the bench or stepping in for an injured teammate. Without Quickley, New York is nowhere near their current record.

After Randle's injury, Obi Toppin was tasked with stepping into the starting lineup. Although Toppin has not had a huge role on this team throughout the year, he was clearly ready to step in and perform.

Against the Cavaliers on Friday, Toppin drew the start and played a very solid game throughout. In only 19 minutes, Toppin shot 5-7 from the field and a perfect 2-2 from the three point line. He truly stepped up his play in their playoff clinching victory against the Wizards. In the matchup, Toppin scored a season-high 21 points on 9-15 from the field and 3-8 from three.

It is difficult to play lineups with Toppin and Randle, so as a result of Randle's iron-man ability, Toppin has only been able to play so many minutes per game this season. Toppin's performance these past two games have been very impressive, as to play this way on such short notice shows how hard Toppin works to stay ready for any scenario.

Brunson Carries Knicks In Potential Playoff Preview

Over the month of March, Jalen Brunson struggled to stay on the court consistently with a few minor injuries. He only played eight of the 15 games the Knicks had over the course of March. It now appears that Brunson is completely back, and with his performance against the Cavs, it also appears that he got himself back in rhythm.

Brunson had an incredible performance with a career-high 48 points on 18-32 from the field and 7-12 from three, as well as nine assists. He outdueled Donovan Mitchell's impressive 42-point performance in a 130-116 victory for New York.

Similarly to the Knicks and Randle, the Cavs were also missing a key component in their lineup with Jarrett Allen. As long as Randle is cleared for the playoffs, both Randle and Allen will be taking part in a likely Knicks-Cavs first round series. With every player healthy, this series has a chance to be an extraordinary matchup between two legitimate contenders.

For the Knicks to make sure of a series versus the Cavs, they most likely have to pick up a victory in one of their final three games, with two being against the Pacers and one against the Pelicans.