Mitchell Robinson was on the floor for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, and that was the change that mattered. After a hand injury threatened his participation, the New York Knicks center played 13 minutes in a 105-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs and gave the Knicks the frontcourt body they had planned to use against Victor Wembanyama.
That is why Robinson’s name was being searched the moment the final horn sounded. He had been listed as questionable after returning to practice, and his availability shaped the Knicks’ approach in a series opener that also featured Jalen Brunson’s 30-point night. Robinson finished with two points, six rebounds and a 1-of-2 shooting line, a modest stat sheet that still mattered in a game the Knicks controlled from the start.
Robinson’s path to the Finals was not simple. He fractured the fifth metacarpal bone in his right hand and needed surgery, an injury that may have happened during the third quarter of the Knicks’ Game 4 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, when he was seen shaking and grabbing the same hand. The possibility that he might not be available for the Finals had hung over the team for days, which made his appearance in Game 1 more than a routine lineup note. It was a sign that the Knicks believed they could still use him, even if only in short bursts.
Robinson did not want to dwell on how the injury happened afterward. He declined to discuss the incident and said, “I’m here to talk about basketball.” What he did make clear was the reason he played: he was not going to miss the chance after waiting eight years to reach the NBA Finals. His minutes came in slightly below his 14.1-minute playoff average, but they were enough to help the Knicks carry out a plan that helped hold Wembanyama to 6-of-21 shooting.
For now, Robinson has answered the biggest immediate question with action rather than words. The next one is whether he can keep doing it as the Finals continue, because the Knicks’ rotation and their answer to Wembanyama look very different if he cannot stay on the floor.
