Sam Navarro | USA TODAY Sports

The Heat have out-knicked the Knicks during the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Julius Randle was asked about this issue after Miami won Game 4, 109-101, on Monday night to take a 3-to-1 series lead. His answer has not gone over well around town.

“Maybe they want it more,” he said. “I don’t know. That’s been who we’ve been all year and we’ve got to find a way to step up and make those plays if we want to keep this season alive.”

Stirring words. Really makes you believe this team has a comeback in it.

The Post’s Mike Vaccaro put it better than we could:

This is what will irk [the Knicks], preoccupy them, keep them up at night in July and August and all the way to training camp, thinking back at this series:

They have been outworked.

They have been outhustled.

They have played the regular stooge to Miami’s smarter, savvier, crisper approach.

Games 5 is back at Madison Square Garden. Maybe the Knicks have a rally in them. Probably not. Even if they stave off elimination at home, there is little hope they will win Game 6 back in Miami.

As for Randle: This has to be the end of the line for him here, right? Too much noise surrounds him. The Knicks have to sell as high as they can with him and pack more draft picks into team president Leon Rose’s war chest. Will they ever cash them in for something worthwhile? Debatable. But at least they have them, we suppose.

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James Kratch can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.

James Kratch is the managing editor of ESNY. He previously worked as a Rutgers and Giants (and Mike Francesa) beat reporter for NJ Advance Media.