Is hated Knicks rival to blame for Mitchell Robinson's stress injury to his ankle?

Entering their second-round series against the Pacers, the New York Knicks were already shorthanded without Julius Randle (shoulder) and Bojan Bogdanovic (foot). In Game 1's win, Tom Thibodeau went with an eight-man rotation. New York's bench was outscored 46-3, but that ultimately didn't matter.

In Game 2 on Wednesday, the Knicks will be even more shorthanded. New York listed Mitchell Robinson as out with left ankle injury management, but shortly after, announced that he suffered a "stress injury" in his left ankle and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.

Robinson expressed his NSFW thoughts about the injury on X (Twitter).

After Robinson was injured in Game 3 against the Sixers, he posted a Bible verse about not seeking revenge. The message was presumably directed toward Joel Embiid, who was on a mission to injure Robinson. Luckily, the center returned in Game 5.

When the New York PR account tweeted that Robinson was out with a stress injury, fans directed their anger toward Embiid. It seems Mitch did, too, considering he said he'd seek revenge. Who else would he seek revenge against?

Knicks fans blame Embiid for Mitchell Robinson's "stress injury"

A stress fracture is defined as "tiny cracks in a bone caused by repetitive force, often from overuse -- such as repeatedly jumping up and down or running long distances." Robinson sustained the injury over time, not in a single game.

After he returned from ankle surgery on March 27, Robinson averaged 15.4 minutes across 10 games. In Game 1 of the first-round series against Philadelphia, he played his first 30-minute game since surgery. Robinson averaged 20.6 minutes per game against the Sixers. In Monday's win, he played 12 minutes, tying the fewest minutes he played in the postseason.

It doesn't seem as if overuse was the issue. It makes sense why fans blame Embiid, considering he's why Robinson missed Game 4 in the first round. Embiid pulled Mitch's right leg down on the play (he landed on his left foot), which should've resulted in a flagrant two-foul, but the officials decided otherwise.

Embiid also landed on Robinson's ankle in a different play, which might've been when Robinson tweaked his already injured ankle the most.

When Robinson returned in late March, he didn't look 100 percent. He was still limping, which resulted in missing a few more games. He looked hobbled in the postseason, and Embiid's dirty antics didn't help. However, given how New York described Robinson's injury, it's hard to pinpoint Embiid as the main reason Mitch will be out for the rest of the playoffs.

Does that mean Embiid should be let off the hook? Absolutely not. If roles were reversed, Robinson most likely would've been ejected while Embiid went on to drop 50 points in Game 3. Knicks fans have every right to bring up Embiid's highlight reel of dirty plays. It's something that should follow him for the rest of his career.

Robinson also has every right to be frustrated. This is the second significant injury he's sustained in one season. On Wednesday morning, Robinson seemingly appeared to be in a better mood.

For someone who worked hard to return, it's tough to see Robinson sidelined again. At least he was part of why New York sent Embiid and Philadelphia home in the first round. Once Robinson is back to 100 percent next season, Embiid better watch out for Big Mitch!