At the moment, one must search for areas of concern for the Knicks.
But there is one glaring issue.
Mitchell Robinson, who went 0-for-4 from the free-throw line, was again neutered by Hack-a-Mitch during the Knicks’ 109-93 Game 2 win over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Across the first two games of the series, Robinson is a combined 2-for-12 from the free-throw line.
For the whole postseason, he is 13-for-41.
That’s just not tenable.
It is making Robinson, who can be extremely impactful, almost unplayable.
He logged just 13 minutes Thursday — and only three minutes in the second half.
He played 14 minutes in Game 1.
Even playing him at the starts of quarters, when the Cavs can’t do Hack-a-Mitch unless they want to play a significant portion of the quarter in the penalty, isn’t a solution.
Anytime Robinson attempts a putback or a dunk — particularly on lobs — the Cavs just foul him and send him to the line.
Before Friday’s game, Robinson said he plans to reveal a whole new version of himself.
“Last post before I delete this app,” Robinson wrote on Facebook on Thursday afternoon. “I finally have changed my [phone] number for many reason [sic]…as I fight through and keep fighting in this playoffs run my focus have to go to another level. This is the start of a new chapter in my life. Love and will miss y’all…. Mitch out.” The new chapter so far contains the same old problem.
Coach Mike Brown again raved about Jose Alvarado’s leadership on the bench.
“We actually pointed it out to our group in practice,” Brown said. “You watch the film, he’s uplifting the entire team when he’s on the bench. He’s always talking in a positive way. He’s showing our young guys that you can impact the game if you’re present, because Jose’s always present.“You’re using your voice and your energy, guys feel that on the floor. Jose’s been phenomenal.”
Tuesday was ESPN’s most-watched Eastern Conference finals Game 1 since 2018, the network announced.
It had an average audience of 7.1 million viewers and peaked at 8.9 million viewers.
