One of the most underrated reasons why the New York Knicks are up 2-0 in their second round series against the Boston Celtics is the impact that center Mitchell Robinson has brought. His defensive intensity and impact on the glass has been a huge difference maker for the Knicks.
Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson has had a great postseason
His impact is so great that the Celtics have been trying to get him off the floor by sending him to the free throw line. It has been hard for Tom Thibodeau to play him for long stretches due to their hack-a-Mitch method, and given that Robinson is a poor free throw shooter, that doesn’t bode well for New York.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazulla gave praise to Robinson and emphasized that they need to slow him down.
“He’s a huge factor to what they do and we’ve got to find ways to negate that,” Mazulla said via SNY.
Robinson was very impactful in Game 2 against Boston, as he was a +19 in 22 minutes off the bench. He also recorded six points and eight rebounds along with three steals, making a fantastic impact inside the paint.
Despite the free throw problems, Robinson is still highly impactful
The negative is the free throw misfortunes, as teams will just foul him intentionally if New York is in the penalty. However, he still makes a great impact rebounding and defending the rim, and he is very important in possessions where they need a defensive stop.
Having Robinson for this playoff run is a huge luxury given that they didn’t have him for most of last year’s run. They missed him dearly during the regular season when he sat out the first 58 games recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but now he is back and making a positive impact as the backup to Karl-Anthony Towns.
Robinson will hope to continue his strong postseason in Game 3 on Saturday, where the Knicks have a chance to grab a 3-0 series lead over Boston.