The New York Knicks made one trade before the February deadline -- and it didn't involve Mitchell Robinson. The former starting center had yet to make his regular-season debut after undergoing ankle surgery the previous May. His value was low because of that, but that didn't stop fans from speculating about his future.
Leon Rose and Co. decided that Robinson's return would be better than any deadline trade "upgrade." That patience paid off in a significant way in the Knicks' 91-90 Game 2 win over the Celtics on Wednesday.
Robinson played a team-high 22 minutes off the bench, posting six points, eight rebounds, three steals, and no fouls. He had the highest plus/minus on the team at +19. The starters were all negative, which isn't surprising, given they were down by as many as 20 points.
The Celtics wanted Robinson off the floor, so they deployed the Hack-A-Mitch strategy that backfired on them.
Knicks' decision to not trade Mitch looks better than ever in the playoffs
It's not like Knicks fans are surprised by what Robinson did in the first two games. He was the starting center leading up to December 2023 when he hurt his ankle and had his first surgery of the 2023-24 season. Isaiah Hartenstein took over as the starter and remained in that spot even after Mitch returned at the end of the regular season.
New York knew Robinson wouldn't be ready to start the 2024-25 season, so the front office traded for Karl-Anthony Towns. He's not the rim-protecting, rebounding center that Mitch is, but he elevates the team's offense. It's still important to have a guy like Robinson, though.
Boston shot 38.9% (14-of-36) inside the arc during the first two games with Mitch on the floor. The Celtics' free-throw attempts declined significantly with him in the game (36 vs. 4). The Knicks out-rebounded them with Mitch on the court. New York reshaped its identity with KAT as the starting center, but that doesn't mean it can't revert back to the team it was last year with Mitch on the floor.
The Knicks wouldn't have left TD Garden with a 2-0 lead if it weren't for Robinson. He was instrumental in the final play of Game 2, switching onto Jayson Tatum. Robinson forced Tatum to go to his left and kept him from driving to the basket. The play resulted in Mikal Bridges blocking a fadeaway Tatum shot attempt.
Wednesday's game reminded fans how impactful Mitchell Robinson can be. There's a reason why Boston deployed the hack strategy in Games 1 and 2.