Powered by a Julius Randle triple-double and a second-half explosion from star forward Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Golden State Warriors 102-97 to take a 2-1 series lead in the conference semifinals on Friday night at Chase Center.

And while Edwards's first 30-point game of the series was certainly noteworthy, it was Randle's performance that had fans and pundits buzzing. Randle became the first Timberwolves player to record a playoff triple-double since Kevin Garnett in 2004. He's the first Timberwolves player to notch 10-plus assists in consecutive playoff games.

NBA fans and pundits know how good Randle, a three-time All-Star, is. But the reaction to his postseason renaissance with the Timberwolves was similar to Shaq's reaction to a big game by then-Houston Rockets center Christian Wood.

NBA fans weren't familiar with this version of Randle's game and felt they owed him an apology.

Randle, who has previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks, got his first taste of playoff basketball in the Big Apple during the 2020-21 season. Let's just say it didn't go all that well, as Randle shot just 29.8 percent from the field while the Knicks were bounced in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks. Although the Knicks advanced to the conference semifinals in Randle's second postseason stint in 2022-23, he didn't fare much better.

But this is indisputably the best Randle has ever played in the postseason. Was it a New York thing? Was it just inexperience? Who really knows?

One thing is for certain. The Timberwolves know how integral Randle, acquired in an offseason trade involving All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns this past offseason, is to the club's success.

Randle, averaging playoff career-highs in points, assists and field-goal percentage, has the Timberwolves in the driver's seat with a 2-1 series lead over the Warriors in the conference semifinals.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA World Apologizes to Julius Randle After Another Big Playoff Game for Timberwolves.

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