From Marc Berman:
Tom Thibodeau can change the Knicks’ starting point guard, but he can’t change what his team has been built around this season: Julius Randle and RJ Barrett as a dynamic 1-2 punch.
In their playoff debuts, however, the pair have been duds, and now the Knicks are facing a dose of reality as they trail the Hawks 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
For the third straight game, Randle and Barrett underperformed and the Hawks rolled with an emphatic 105-94 victory Wednesday in Game 3 at rowdy and red State Farm Arena.
I mean, that’s really it, right? Randle and Barrett were terrible and the Knicks could have still won this one.
So….you know, let’s hope they play better and the Knicks even this series on Sunday.
Imagine how much they would have lost by had Payton started!