Losing Mitchell Robinson to the divisional foe Boston Celtics this offseason was certainly a gut-punch news break for the New York Knicks and their fanbase. For the NBA, however, it now presents them with a golden opportunity to kick off the 2026-27 campaign with an absolute bang.
As is the case with every new season, the primetime game on opening night is devoted to the previous season's champion. This, coupled with the fact that the NBA and NBC are now back in partnership, automatically opens the door to massive viewership potential right out of the gates.
Having one of the bigger market clubs in the Knicks locked into the slot is already a major win on this front. However, now with the Robinson-to-Boston drama, it becomes a no-brainer for the association to set an opening night face-off between these long-time rivals.
Considering the fact that New York has gone 7-3 in head-to-head matchups against the Celtics, the champs would presumably have the odds in their favor of starting off their title-defense tour with a W.
Of course, the recent head-scratcher of a trade that shipped star forward Jaylen Brown outbound for the aged Paul George should only make their chances of success even greater should this painfully obvious opener come to fruition.
Mitchell Robinson hints at behind-the-scenes drama after Knicks exit
While many may believe that the main reason behind Mitchell Robinson's departure from New York was due to the club's financial restraints, the big man is seemingly suggesting that there may actually be more to the story.
In response to a comment left by OG Anunoby on his personal Instagram account, Robinson alluded to the fact that there was some drama that expedited his exit from the Knicks, saying that he actually tried to stay with the club.
"I tried brother I didn’t want this to happen hopefully the truth comes out at some point,” Robinson replied," Robinson wrote.
At the end of the day, no one should fault Robinson for leaving the Knicks this summer. Considering owner James Dolan's reluctance to enter into the second apron, coupled with the lucrative three-year, $47 million deal he received on the open market, it's hard to argue against his decision to jump ship.
With that said, regardless of what the "truth" that he's referring to is, his signing with what has historically been the team's biggest rival, the Celtics, has Knicks fans feeling some type of way -- and rightly so.
Perhaps more back-end information regarding his ultimate decision will surface in the coming weeks and months, but regardless, it's becoming more apparent by the day that NBA fans of all faiths should be champing at the bit, awaiting to see a matchup between these two clubs in 2026-27.
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