Mitchell Robinson makes impact in return to Knicks
The Knicks' Mitchell Robinson looks on during a timeout in the second half of an NBA game against the Heat at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 2. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
WASHINGTON — Mitchell Robinson made his return to the lineup after being sidelined for 14 games with a fractured right thumb and picked up exactly where he left off.
Robinson had 10 points, including a huge basket in the final seconds, and 12 rebounds and made a defensive impact in the Knicks’ win.
And then he spoke about it.
“At first, it was solid,” Robinson said of his defense. “I mean, it was good here, bad here, good here, bad here. It was all over the place right now. But it wasn’t that bad, though, I think. I got a steal, a block, defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds. It wasn’t that bad.”
When it was pointed out that the question hadn’t implied it was bad, he said, “That’s what I’m saying. I’m telling you how it was. My defense like that. My defense really like that. I feel like I did a good job. We won.”
So what did he do well?
“Everything,” he said.
Wizards had been hot
The Wizards had won 10 of their previous 14 games before falling to the Knicks.
“I think just readiness to play,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of the Wizards before the game. “I think they’re playing at a really high level.”
Memories
The Knicks will hold a ceremony at halftime Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise’s last championship. The 1972-73 team, coached by the late Red Holzman, won the title with a 4-1 Finals victory over the Lakers and will be represented by Walt Frazier and Bill Bradley, among others.
Not the tropics
Thibodeau had joked before the Knicks left for the All-Star break that he’d be spending his time at “Club Tarrytown,” referring to the Knicks’ training facility. He was asked Friday night how Club Tarrytown was.
“Very nice,” he said. “Resort-like.”
Safe to say, he did not get a tan.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
