New York Knicks fans will always wonder how the 2024 postseason might have gone if the team had been fully healthy. The injuries started when Mitchell Robinson had ankle surgery in December and worsened when Julius Randle dislocated his shoulder in January.
Randle worked to return for two months, but the severity of the injury was too much to ignore. He underwent season-ending surgery after it was initially reported he could return in time for the playoffs. He watched from the bench as the injuries piled up.
The playoffs are always physical, which is Randle's bread-and-butter. He's one of the toughest players in the league. He would've thrived in both series the Knicks played, especially the first round against Joel Embiid and the Sixers.
New York took Indiana to seven games in the semifinals, and Randle wasn't the only player sidelined. Robinson reinjured his ankle in Game 1, OG Anunoby injured his hamstring in Game 2, and Bojan Bogdanovic had surgery after a foot injury in the first round. Josh Hart played through an abdominal strain, and Jalen Brunson fractured his hand in Game 7 against the Pacers.
There's reason to believe that if the Knicks were healthy, they would've advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Maybe they would've upset the Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals. Flavor Flav thinks that would've been the case.
“The Knicks would’ve been in the Finals right now if [Julius Randle] was still playing” - @FlavorFlav 💪 pic.twitter.com/AtlnLOmdc0
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) June 11, 2024
Flavor Flav says Knicks would've made it to NBA Finals with healthy Julius Randle
The rapper supports several NBA teams, including the Knicks. He's a Jrue Holiday fan and received his jersey after Boston beat Indiana in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Member when we all used to wear our clothes backwards,??? Imma bring back that trend with JRUE HOLIDAYS GAME WORN JERSEY.!!! 🔥🔥🔥🍀🍀🍀@Jrue_Holiday11 @celtics pic.twitter.com/G4DCnILZ7i
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) May 26, 2024
He might be slightly biased regarding the Knicks, but what he said on FanDuel's "Run It Back Show" could've happened.
Winning an NBA title not only takes skill and preparation, but it also takes luck. Injuries can quickly derail championship hopes. A lot has to go right for a team to hoist the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Everything went wrong for New York. The icing on the cake was Brunson fracturing his hand in the team's final game of the season. If it wasn't one thing, it was another.
Fans want to see the Knicks run it back next season with a similar roster, but that might not happen. New York is pursuing a star, and Isaiah Hartenstein and OG Anunoby are expected to be unrestricted free agents. Hartenstein could sign with another team for more money. Maybe the Knicks will lose Randle in a trade. It's too early to know.
At least New York is in the best position it has been in for years. Maybe (just maybe) the Knicks will be in the 2025 NBA Finals.