MILWAUKEE — After two straight lousy defeats, Julius Randle knows the Knicks had better be a different team Friday when they face the defending champion Bucks.
After all, Randle watched the NBA Finals — all of it.
“The biggest thing is coming out with energy,” Randle said before boarding a flight to Milwaukee late Wednesday night. “We’ve been good on the road so far this year. We just got to come out with energy, come out with fight, an edge. Play Knicks basketball.
“That’s who we are. Usually that gives us a pretty good shot every night, whether home or on the road.”
They’ve been toasted by the Raptors and Pacers back-to-back and now will step up in class to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and company. The Knicks didn’t practice Thursday in Milwaukee, perhaps to rest their legs for the champs, who have dealt with COVID-19 and injuries and are 4-4.
“It motivates me extremely,” Randle said of watching the Bucks win it all last season. “I remember watching it and getting chills. I’m getting chills right now just thinking about it. Because I know personally the grind and effort and how much time it takes to continue to get better, how much time it takes you really have to put in.
“And I know how special that moment is and how hard it is to get there.”
After a 5-1 start, the Knicks have looked far from title contenders recently — partly due to the defense not matching the intensity or results of the 2020-21 season.
“I haven’t gotten there yet,” Randle said of the NBA title hunt. “None of us have. This league is really hard. And doing it the way they did organically was really cool. When you asked me, I got chills thinking about it. I don’t think there’s no better place to do it than here. I’ve always said there’s no better place than New York.”
The Knicks haven’t won the title since 1973. The Bucks broke a 50-year title drought last July with Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday leading the charge.
“It was beautiful to watch, simply because the aspect of they built it from the ground up,” Randle said. “They didn’t put a super team together. These guys were in the mud everyday grinding.”
The Bucks drafted Antetokounmpo with the No. 15 pick in 2013. The Bucks found the right pieces to build around him as he rose to being a two-time MVP in 2019 and 2020. Middleton and Holiday are the most unsung stars in NBA history.
“They took some lumps along the way there trying to figure it out,” Randle said. “But clearly it worked and figured it out and did something that’s very unique, especially in today’s league, as far as building something like that and not putting a bunch of players together. They really built it.
“There’s nothing wrong with either way. A championship is a championship. I don’t care any way you win. But especially to see that, especially for a guy like Giannis to be there after getting drafted, working his way into the player he is and then winning a championship, that’s special.”
Knicks guard Evan Fournier was in Japan training for the Olympics with Team France during the NBA Finals, but was in close contact with Milwaukee small forward Axel Toupane, a French teammate, during the run.
“I think the adversity with the Nets — they almost lost that series — but they always had that belief,’’ Fournier said. “Giannis was really always intense. His focus was only on winning.
“You can cheer for them, for sure. As a team, you can appreciate it more than just having superstars get together and win when you have a team that built everything from the draft and that kinda grinded it out.’’
The Bucks are heading to the White House on Monday, but first must get by the Knicks.
“I have a lot of respect for [Kemba] Walker and Fournier,’’ Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Those two guys can score. Thibs does a great job. Randle is just a handful and the bench can be really good.’’