As the Knicks have embarked on their preparation for the first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, the scouting and planning booklets handed out, the film rolled until eyes glaze over, the one thing they know they can count on is Julius Randle.
But about 900 miles south, the Hawks are doing their preparation, too. And you can be sure that their scouting report has put Randle in boldface. Coach Nate McMillan cites the statistics off the top of his head, the 37.3 points per game that Randle torched them for as the Knicks swept all three regular-season meetings.