Julius Randle’s thumbs down a reminder that fans can — and will — boo you

Can we stop with the thumbs down, please?

We learned a couple things in last night’s incredible Knicks comeback win against the Celtics:

1. RJ Barrett has ice in his veins.
2. Evan Fournier loves to shoot.
3. Julius Randle isn’t a Mets fan.

If Randle had paid attention to the Mets at all this past summer, he would know that players not agreeing with how fans vocally embrace their mediocrity doesn’t help their cause.

Remember this?

Yeah, Randle was on Team Thumbs Down last night as the Knicks allowed the Celtics to roll to a 25-point lead.

Even with the incredible comeback, it wasn’t lost on those watching that Randle showed his distain for the boos he was hearing.

The Inside crew discusses Julius Randle's 'thumbs down' gesture during their win at MSG pic.twitter.com/xz117pnF23

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 7, 2022

Maybe Randle is understandably unhappy that he didn’t even rank in the top ten frontcourt players in All-Star voting? Maybe he’s frustrated that his season isn’t going as well as last year’s campaign?

Either way, what we do know is New York fans will boo when they feel like it. And they’ll boo more when you acknowledge their unhappy response to your play.

But they’ll come back and cheer for you when things are going well. Just ask Javier Baez. Or Francisco Lindor. Or… RJ Barrett.