Julius Randle was downright bubbly.
He walked into the interview room Thursday afternoon and greeted reporters like old high school buddies.
He smiled broadly throughout a 10-minute media session, sounding like a kid preparing for his first Little League game.
He cracked jokes and was contemplative about his bounce-back season.
“I’m just having fun, man, this is a lot of fun. I can’t lie,” Randle said ahead of Friday’s massive Game 3 of the Knicks’ best-of-seven, opening-round playoff series with the Cavaliers that is knotted at one win apiece. “This is what you work so hard for. For me it goes back to our team, all the work that we’ve put in, in the summer, individuals. That’s what this is about. So I’m excited.”
He added: “Probably having the most fun that I’ve had in my nine-year career in the league.”
Part of his sunny outlook was health.
Randle feels like himself after missing the final five regular-season games due to a sprained left ankle.
He believes he worked out the rust in the first two games in Cleveland, and is fortunate the hard fall he took in the final minutes of Game 2 didn’t result in an injury.
“I kind of honestly feel like I’m on a second season,” Randle said. “I know it was a little bit of a break for me with my ankle, but I feel like I’m in a whole different season than earlier this year. So I feel refreshed.”
That’s obviously great news for the Knicks.
Randle was such a big part of their surprising season, an All-Star for the second time.
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He led them in scoring and rebounding, and teamed with Jalen Brunson to create a dynamic duo that led coach Tom Thibodeau’s team to the postseason for the second time in three years.
There were doubts whether Randle would be able to play the entire series due to the left ankle injury.
He started Game 1 and helped the Knicks get off to a strong start with 16 first-half points. Over the last three halves, though, Randle has struggled against the Cavaliers’ elite defense.
He has missed 18 of 27 shots and committed 10 turnovers.
Thibodeau kept Randle in the game down the stretch of Tuesday’s blowout defeat to try to get him into a rhythm.
With 2:22 left, Randle was fouled hard by Cleveland big man Jarrett Allen on a breakaway dunk.
Randle stayed down briefly and exchanged some words with a few Cavaliers players.
Allen was assessed a Flagrant-1 foul.
Afterward, Randle called the hard foul unnecessary.
Asked about it on Thursday, he was ready to move on.
“I’m built for these kinds of battles,” he said, flashing a grin. “That’s why you put so much time in the weight room. I put a lot into my body for recovery and stuff like that. So my kids beat me up worse.”
This has been a year of redemption for Randle in many ways.
He found his game after a decidedly down season, and has the Knicks back to where they were two years ago.
He didn’t play well in that dismal playoff series loss to the Hawks, shooting just 29.8 percent from the field while averaging 4.6 turnovers.
He has more help this time around, and, if his mood was an indication, may be primed to lead his team into the second round for the first time in a decade.
“I think [mentally I’m] just in a great place,” Randle said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself because I work — I don’t want to praise myself — but I put a lot into the game so I put a lot of pressure on myself. For me, I’m just enjoying the moment, enjoying being in the game and realizing the work is done.
“Just let the cards fall where they may. Just having fun [being] in the moment.”