'What Mitch does is special': Can New York's versatile 7-footer swing the East finals?

THE QUIETEST MOMENT inside Madison Square Garden during the New York Knicks' 2025 playoff run wasn't when Tyrese Haliburton's shot hovered above the rim in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. It wasn't when Jalen Brunson took an odd step with his troublesome right ankle in New York's playoff opener.

That moment belongs to Game 3 of the Knicks' conference semifinals series against the Boston Celtics, when swaths of Knicks fans politely encouraged each other to stay silent, whispering "Shhh!" as center Mitchell Robinson stepped to the free throw line during the second quarter.

It was something of a reversal from how the crowd handled things a few minutes earlier, when it roared after Robinson got fouled to show their support for the defensive-minded, rim-running big man and his 34% free throw shooting in the playoffs. But after that effort resulted in an unsightly airball -- Robinson's second of the series in a matchup where the defending champs were intentionally sending him to the line -- the Garden crowd quickly shifted into silence. Broadcast cameras panned to Knicks superfans Spike Lee and Ben Stiller, who, like everyone else, seemed unsure of what to do at that moment.

But Robinson's second attempt went down, inciting a massive cheer for the 27-year-old Robinson, the club's longest-tenured player, and whose return in late February after a lengthy recovery from an ankle injury has helped reshape a Knicks defense from one that couldn't handle the league's best teams to one that's seven wins from an NBA title.

And Robinson's game, despite featuring plenty of free throw drama, has never spoken louder than in these playoffs. That's especially true in the conference finals against the Indiana Pacers, where the 7-footer's fingerprints have been all over the series heading into Tuesday's Game 4 (8 p.m. ET, TNT); the Pacers have a 2-1 lead in the series.

It largely explains why guard Josh Hart, who had started 27 consecutive playoff games, willingly approached the team's coaching staff to say he'd be fine with moving to a sixth-man role if it meant Robinson would get more time. Robinson (29 minutes) started, while Hart (34 minutes) came off the bench in the Knicks' potentially season-saving Game 3 win.

"He's huge; someone who does just about everything. A big X factor," Hart said of Robinson before it was known that the guard had all but encouraged coach Tom Thibodeau to alter the starting lineup. "We have to figure out ways he can play more."

ROBINSON'S TEAMMATES DIDN'T mince words after the big man injured his right ankle in Game 3 of last season's opening round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Key players, including Hart and former Knick Donte DiVincenzo, were quick to suggest that Sixers center Joel Embiid put Robinson in harm's way when he grabbed at Robinson's right leg while already on the ground. (There had also been a play where Embiid fell on top of Robinson's left leg earlier in that game, which left the Knicks big man writhing in pain.)

"It was dirty," DiVincenzo said. "It was dirty."

The three officials were unanimous in calling a Flagrant 1 on Embiid but opting against ejecting the Sixers star. After the game, Embiid said he was trying to avoid a scenario where Robinson might fall on him the way Jonathan Kuminga had earlier that year -- something that led to a meniscus tear and two-month surgery recovery for Embiid.

A hobbled Robinson made it through the remainder of the Knicks' series win and limited minutes in Game 1 of the conference semifinals before doctors found a stress reaction in his left ankle.

Robinson had surgery before the Knicks' postseason even ended, joining a list of key Knicks players whose seasons were cut short that season. Julius Randle had already been ruled out. So had reserve Bogdan Bogdanovic. OG Anunoby strained his hamstring in the Indiana series and couldn't really run when he valiantly tried to accelerate his return for Game 7. Brunson fractured his hand in that deciding game.

But two of those players moved on to other clubs and the other two were back to full strength well ahead of the 2024-25 season, leaving just Robinson with a lengthy, isolating recovery that kept him out of the Knicks' first 58 games of the season.

"It's a lot of emotions that go on, ups and downs," said Robinson, who was the subject of trade rumors during the months he was on the mend. "Really, the hard part is trying to stay afloat and trying to stay focused, because you can't really do too much when you're injured."

He added that he wanted to be 100 percent whenever he came back, and acknowledged that in the past, when he was younger, that he'd often try to get back as quickly as he could, even if it left him at greater risk of a setback.

In Robinson's absence, New York slipped to 21st on defense and surrendered the second-worst defensive rating against top-10 offenses. Against the Celtics in the regular season, specifically, the Knicks utilized more drop coverage than any other team.

Between that, and the team being softer around the basket with stretch big Karl-Anthony Towns at center, there seemingly were clear roadblocks to a conference finals berth in New York.

AS THE CELTICS pushed the ball in transition during a close-out Game 6, Robinson sprinted back on defense to make sure the Knicks wouldn't be exposed near the rim.

Robinson began his perimeter defense ballet by running out toward Payton Pritchard, who then swung the ball to fellow sharpshooter Derrick White, who then just as quickly flipped the ball to Al Horford before giving way to Jrue Holiday. Robinson had kept with every step.

Holiday then put the ball on the deck and drove toward the basket before dishing to Jaylen Brown, who had been standing in the corner for what looked like a wide-open 3. Brown even had enough room for one dribble.

Knicks could've played it safe & traded for a healthy backup C at 2025 deadline. They instead bet on Mitchell Robinson, who made one of the biggest plays in Game 6 (clip below). Cs struggled with Robinson all series. NYK was +46 in Robinson's 124 minutes. pic.twitter.com/sMJ2ZXgs0i

But, despite the fact that Robinson had already rotated to each of the other four Celtics on court in a four-second span, the 7-footer somehow stood face-to-face with Brown, who no longer had room to get his shot off. It resulted in Brown being stripped as Robinson swallowed up the play, bringing the Garden crowd to its feet.

Just how impactful was Robinson? He was a plus-46 in the series against Boston. (The Knicks' next-closest player, backup guard Deuce McBride, was a plus-16.) For context, New York lost the Towns minutes by nine points.

Robinson was a force, getting a hand on just about every New York miss, defending the Celtics' lethal pick-and-roll attack out to the 3-point line while also heavily contesting inside the arc.

The Knicks closed out that series with Boston, dominating Game 6 by a franchise-record 38 points; something that would have been unthinkable a mere month ago, given how the Celtics thoroughly dominated New York in three matchups prior to Robinson's return to the lineup.

His back-side communication and ability to navigate multiple rotations along the arc, areas where Towns has been exposed throughout the postseason, have been vital. Robinson being the most valuable center in the series against the Celtics -- whether it was because of Kristaps Porzingis' illness or not -- was telling. Boston had little it could do to reliably score inside so long as Robinson was there.

The standout showing was a far cry from Robinson's first couple of seasons in the league. New York was 38-110 over that span -- which were filled with promise but dotted with inconsistency that often tethered him to the bench, even when the club had less at stake.

"I've cut down on the fouls; I'm offensive rebounding [the ball] more," said the 27-year-old Robinson, who has led the NBA in offensive-rebound percentage twice in his career. "I feel like the game has slowed up for me a little bit. Over the years, I feel like I've just grown and gotten better."

And entering the conference finals, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said his entire group was on notice about Robinson's game-altering ability.

"He's been very, very impactful for them since he's been back," Carlisle said. "He gives them a lot of versatility, and his ability to switch onto smaller players is special for a guy his size. He's a major factor, and a guy we've been talking about a lot."

As such, New York was managing to contest 52% of Indiana's shot attempts with Robinson on the court over the first two games, up from just a 42% contest rate when he's on the sideline, according to ESPN Research. It all speaks to why he was plugged into the starting five for Game 3, and why he should be a mainstay there for the remainder of the playoffs.

"What Mitch does is special. I don't think there's anyone in the league who can do what he does," Anunoby said. "Quick hands. Quick feet. Anticipation. All at 7 feet. He's one of one."