The NBA has just announced its upcoming slate of games for this season's Christmas Day schedule. Unsurprisingly, the New York Knicks will be in action in Madison Square Garden as they face off against a familiar foe in Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.
Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle has opened up about the highly-anticipated matchup, but in his mind, this is nothing more than just another contest:
“Being the fact that it’s Atlanta, for me it’s another game,” Randle said on ESPN’s The Jump on Tuesday, via Ryan Chichester of WFAN Sports Radio. “It’s all a part of the process for our season and what we want to build to be where we want to be at for the end of our season. Everything is game by game.”
Is Randle playing some mind games here? We all know how Trae Young has emerged as one of the most despised villains in MSG and the fact that the Hawks eliminated the Knicks in the playoffs last season adds even more spice to this narrative. Surely, emotions will be high when these two face off in a marquee matchup on Christmas Day.
Nevertheless, Randle continued to play down the contest. For him, what stands out more is the fact that he's going to be playing in what is perhaps the most important regular-season date in the NBA's calendar:
“Those are the games you want to be a part of,” Randle said. “Those are definitely the games the NBA highlights, so the fact that you get a Christmas Day game is a huge honor. Obviously there’s a lot of anticipation and all that type of stuff because of the first-round series, but I’m just looking forward to being able to have that experience of playing on Christmas in front of my family and friends.”
Whatever the case may be, you can be sure of one thing: Randle and the Knicks will be doing everything in their power to ensure that they come out with a win on their home floor come December 25.
Follow Us
Subscribe