Julius Randle hasn’t quite been himself in the NBA Playoffs so far, but Hawks center Clint Capela added some insult to the injury that is Randle’s performance late in Game 3 by channeling a famous former Hawk (and Knick).
With just under two minutes left and the Hawks leading 104-89, Randle drove the paint for a floater…which was promptly swatted by Capela, who went all Dikembe Mutombo with the finger wag after the rejection:
Capela finished with 13 points, 12 boards, and two blocks as the Hawks won 105-94. Randle had 14 and 11, but shot a dismal 2-for-15 from the floor and continues to underwhelm; the first-time All-Star averaged 24.1 points per game this season, but in three playoff games, he has averaged 14.7 points while shooting just 24.1 percent from the field.
Capela averaged a career-high 3.0 blocks per game this season, a figure Mutombo eclipsed in his first seven seasons in the NBA, as well as his ninth. The Hall of Famer averaged 3.2 blocks in his four-plus seasons with the Hawks (1996-97 to 2000-01) and 1.9 in his lone year (2003-04) with the Knicks at age 37 – but the finger wag still lives on, even for Mutombo in the famous GEICO commercial that recently resurfaced.
Game 4 is set for Sunday afternoon, with the Hawks leading the series two games to one.
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