(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
After suffering through many years of ineptitude, the New York Knicks have a great shot at reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
They currently lead their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers, an old rival from their glory days of the 1990s, 1-0, after a 121-117 win in Game 1 on Monday.
But New York has suffered a sizable blow in the form of a stress reaction Mitchell Robinson suffered that will reportedly sideline him for the rest of the postseason.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau praised Robinson for his effort and production thus far in the playoffs, per Fred Katz.
Tom Thibodeau on Mitchell Robinson playing hurt through the playoff run: “He gave us everything he had. That’s all you can ask of a player. What he gave us was tremendous.”
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 8, 2024
Robinson started this season as the Knicks’ starting center, but an ankle injury at midseason forced him to miss nearly four months of action.
When he returned, Isaiah Hartenstein remained their starting center, but Robinson played a key role off the bench.
The Knicks have remade themselves into winners by employing a strong identity as a team that pounds opponents on the boards and holds opponents down defensively, and Robinson has been a big part of that ethos.
Without him, they will have to change the way they do things when Hartenstein goes to the bench.
New York was already without All-Star big man Julius Randle, as he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in late January, and without Randle and Robinson, they will have to go small at times.
Against the Pacers, a fast-breaking team that led the NBA in points in the paint during the regular season, that may not work well enough.
The post Tom Thibodeau Gets Honest About The Loss Of Mitchell Robinson appeared first on The Cold Wire.