SAN ANTONIO – Nick, the longest-tenured in office, made the most of his opportunity.
With Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble, Mitchell Robinson was called upon to play most of his minutes in the playoffs.
Stand tall.
Not only did Robinson grab 10 rebounds in 20 minutes and help limit 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama’s shooting to 7-of-19, but he also had the biggest offensive rebound of his career, and one of the most important in Knicks history.
With the Knicks up by three, Robinson got a missed free throw from Josh Hart with 22 seconds left. Robinson quickly got rid of the ball and put it into the hands of OG Anunoby, who hit one of the two free throws.
A former second-round pick, Robinson saw everything as a Knick. It’s been through hard times, it’s been through good times, and now it’s experienced the ultimate: a championship, helping to end the franchise’s 53-year drought.
Robinson survived being part of teams that lost at least 45 games in three of his first four seasons in the NBA, and it was part of that renaissance under team president Leon Rose and star guard Jalen Brunson that took him to the greatest stage in the sport.
Before the Finals, Robinson fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right hand during the Knicks’ break after the Cavaliers were eliminated from the Eastern Conference Finals.
Surgery was required. But Robinson insisted he was not worried at all, despite having to wear a black brace on his right hand.
In the clincher, he came up big.