The Knicks were the four seed over the Atlanta Hawks, but it seemed clear throughout the series that New York was overmatched.
The Knicks lost the final three games of the series by an average of 14 points.
And Trae Young capped off his great series with a game-high 36 points in Game 5.
“He’s clever. He’s very good with the ball,” Knicks coach Tom Thiodeau said. “He can shoot, he can pass. I think he’s really grown this year, and he’s done a great job for their team. Hat’s off to him. He’s a terrific talent.”
“They just had a great scheme. Credit to them,” he said. “They played extremely well, shot the ball well, and made more plays than we did.”
Randle notably struggled this postseason. He did drop 23 points in Games 4 and 5, but he shot just 29.8 percent from the floor (28-for-94), and just 33.3 percent from three (11-for-33). In the regular season, he knocked down 45.6 percent of his field goals, and 41.1 percent from deep.
But despite the playoff struggles, Derrick Rose is keeping his confidence in Randle.
“I told him I still do believe in him, [I’ll] ride with him til the end. He got us here. It’s all about adjustment,” Rose said. Making the adjustment during the game and learning from all the experiences. Next time he’s back in postseason, he has foundation to work from. Learning experience.”
Atlanta now will face the Philadelphia 76ers, and the winner of that series will face the winner of the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.