The New York Knicks reached their first NBA Finals in 27 years with a championship-or-bust roster, and now they will open it nursing an anxious question at center. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Mitchell Robinson underwent surgery on a broken right pinky finger and is planning to play in Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday while wearing a brace.
The timing is what stung. New York had banked on roughly a week of rest before the Finals after dispatching the Eastern Conference, and the injury surfaced during that idle stretch rather than in the heat of a game.
On ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith made no attempt to hide his frustration, delivering a heated monologue when the news broke. His point, stripped of the theatrics, was that Robinson is supposed to be resting and recovering during the off week, not picking up an injury that requires surgery. Smith argued that for a player whose value has never been about scoring, suiting up is non-negotiable.
Smith stressed that Robinson is not on the floor for offense. By his accounting, the center averages around eight points a game and shoots roughly 50 percent from the free-throw line. "He's there to rebound, defend, be a big body," Smith said — the kind of physical, screen-setting, glass-cleaning presence the Knicks have leaned on all postseason and may need badly against San Antonio's length.
Inside the Knicks' locker room, the tone was calmer. Karl-Anthony Towns, who has waited more than a decade to reach this stage, framed Robinson's situation as something the team would manage rather than panic over. "Mitch is very important to us," Towns said. "Amazing player. It's unfortunate what happened, but I'm sure we just take it day by day now."
Towns leaned on the resilience the group has shown across a long playoff run. He pointed back to a rough stretch earlier in the season as proof the Knicks can absorb adversity. "Whatever the picture ends up being when we step on that court on Wednesday, we feel confident," Towns said. He added that the Knicks trust their depth completely: "One through 15 could go out there, put a Knicks jersey on and get the job done."
That depth may be tested early. Robinson's rebounding and rim protection have been central to New York's identity, and any limitation — or a worst-case absence — would force head coach Mike Brown into smaller, switch-heavy looks against a Spurs front line built around Victor Wembanyama. Towns acknowledged the team has prepared for multiple scenarios during the layoff. "We have to prepare," he said. "And we're preparing every single day for whatever the situation may be. So we're just ready."
For now, the messaging from New York is one of cautious optimism: surgery done, a brace fitted, and a center who intends to be on the floor when the Finals tip off. Whether the pinky holds up over a seven-game series against Wembanyama and San Antonio is a question the Knicks will only be able to answer once the lights come on Wednesday night.
