New York Knicks forward Julius Randle wasn't too fond of the boos he and his teammates received from the Madison Square Garden crowd in the first quarter of the game against the Boston Celtics this past Thursday. The one-time All-Star took note of that. When he got the chance, Randle made sure to let them know how he feels about the home crowd booing. The Knicks made their run during the game and amidst their rally, Randle scored on a tough finish inside the lane. This prompted an uproar and loud cheers from the Garden crowd. This is when Randle took his chance to express just what he thought of the boos by giving the Knicks fans the thumbs down.

Obviously, Randle's controversial gesture made the rounds on social media. To make it worse, Randle even doubled-down when asked what he meant by it during the post-game press conference: and the message wasn't quite safe for work. And for that, the 27-year old received a fine from the NBA on Saturday for using profane language during the post-game presser.

Randle already posted on Instagram about the situation and did apologize to Knicks fans about what he did. He expressed his regret and double-down on how much he loves New York and the Knicks fans. This has already come to pass, with the 8-year veteran already speaking out and getting fined for something connected to his gesture. Nonetheless, Randle's actions will still have further consequences. Here are two reasons Julius Randle will regret thumbs downing Knicks fans.

Julius Randle will regret thumbs down

2. Knicks fans won't let this slip away

Knicks fans are a rabid fanbase, perhaps the most in the entire NBA. Randle giving them the thumbs down will forever be etched in their minds. There's no turning back from what he did. Whenever he plays poorly, Knicks fans will remind him of this moment, probably spam his social media with his picture doing the thumbs down, which will likely irate the lefty forward even more.

By doing that, Randle has no choice but to let his game do the talking from this point on, especially for this fanbase. Knicks fans love it when their players play hard and show heart, determination, and grit. Some of them are already complaining about his lack of effort on some nights and his bad body language which translate to poor play.

Some members of Knicks Nation did say they have no issue with Randle's gestures as he's human like all of us with emotions. But they did note that they hope this lights up a fire in him to finally play the way he did when he made the All-NBA 2nd team last season. The reason Randle endeared himself to Knicks fans last season is because he played 100 percent and gave it his all every night. With their 2021-22 season not going as smoothly as last year, Randle seems to be playing with a lot more on his head. The constant criticism from Knicks fans is also contributing as to why his mental hasn't been the same this season.

Apology and all, Knicks fans simply won't let this slip away and will continue to get on him until the 2020-21 version of Julius Randle shows up consistently.

1. Knicks fans will remember

If Randle's tenure in New York continues going south, there's a possibility his relationship with the Knicks starts getting toxic. When that happens, a nasty split may be in the works in the future if both sides don't get their partnership on the right track.

If Julius Randle goes through a nasty divorce with the city of New York, its fans will make sure he will never hear the end of it. Their grudge has a long expiry date. Someone like Kristaps Porzingis certainly knows what the feels like. Should he get traded, the lefty will most certainly hear boos every time he returns to Madison Square Garden. Maybe the perks of this is that he'll finally be able to boo them back as part of the opposing squad.