Sunday’s game between the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves served not only as an exhibition, but also as a changing of the guard of sorts.

Those in attendance at Madison Square Garden had a chance to say a proper farewell to Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, who now represent Minnesota following a blockbuster trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to Manhattan. Randle and DiVincenzo were the headliners of a hefty package sent to Minneapolis to acquire Towns’ services after playing key roles in the Knicks’ most successful season in more than a decade.

Randle was still recovering from a shoulder injury on the MSG hardwood in January and did not play Sunday. So he was one of thousands to witness Towns’ fortuitous double-double, as his do-it-all successor in the post department scored 16 points and rebounds in each in the Knicks’ 115-110 win.

Randle was well aware that Manhattan’s toughest critics walk through the turnstiles at MSG every night and gave Towns some advice when it comes to staying in their good graces.

“Just think about basketball,” Randle told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Just stay locked up. Stay in the moment. This place has a tendency to make things bigger than what it seems at the time.

The trade for Towns ended Randle’s rollercoaster stint in New York, a period in which he went through some perceived growing pains before establishing himself as an undeniable NBA star: He represented the Knicks in three All-Star Games and in two more All- NBA teams, while averaging 22.6 points. and 9.9 rebounds during his half-decade in New York.

Despite the wave of emotions that washed over Sunday’s game, Randle wasn’t too keen on waxing poetic: He was focused on his “unfinished business” in Minnesota (presumably his lack of both a championship and a long-term contract) and said he would the “let (fans) decide” response when he finally takes the floor as an opponent.

But even with a sharpened Midwestern vision, Randle couldn’t help but bask in the aura of MSG one last time.

“I’m really happy, excited and blessed. I have unfinished business here. And that’s what I choose to focus on,” Randle said, according to Bondy. “…(But) this place here, it was a blessing to be able to play here every night.”

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