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After weeks of uncertainty, questions about Julius Randle’s iffy playoff status, all that worrying appeared to be a waste of time.
The Knicks’ leading scorer and rebounder was not only available for Game 1 of this best-of-seven, opening-round playoff series against the Cavaliers.
He was in the starting lineup.
The two-time All-Star sprained his left ankle in a win over the Heat on March 29, and missed the final five regular season games of the year.
The first positive sign came last Sunday when Randle was no longer in a boot.
He took part in practices on a limited basis this week, but was held out of contact drills, Tom Thibodeau said.
But the Knicks’ coach made it clear his star was improving each day, a hint that this was trending towards Randle being ready to go when the ball was tipped for this highly anticipated showdown.
