Mitchell Robinson suffered a broken pinky finger at a difficult moment, but the Knicks refuse to use the injury as a ready-made excuse heading into the NBA Finals.
Robinson underwent surgery and is hoping to play with a protective brace when the series gets underway on Wednesday night.
League sources have identified the injury as a fracture of the fifth metacarpal, the bone connecting the wrist directly to the pinky finger.
Robinson did not participate in Friday’s practice session, and it remains unclear whether he will take part in Sunday’s workout.
Coach Mike Brown declined to speculate on Robinson’s availability, noting that recovery timelines “vary” significantly from player to player when dealing with fractured fingers.
“For me, I’m always going with whoever is available today,” Brown said. “And [Robinson] didn’t practice today. So we’re getting whoever we need ready to go. I don’t want to know, just let me know if he can play and when he can play.”
Brown also reflected on the importance of staying composed regardless of what challenges the team faces throughout a long playoff run.
“We all have had curveballs come at you that are bigger than (Robinson’s injury) in life, and trying to even do it when you have those curveballs helps you prepare for something that is really a kid’s game,” Brown said.
OG Anunoby won a championship with Toronto in 2019 but was unable to enjoy it fully after an emergency appendectomy ruled him out of the entire playoff run.
Concerns resurfaced this postseason when Anunoby aggravated a hamstring injury during Game 2 against Philadelphia, yet he returned to make a major impact in the conference finals.
“He’s locked in and doing all of the things we know he’s capable of,” Jalen Brunson said of Anunoby. “He’s doing what he does. He’s playing great.”
Landry Shamet’s journey to the NBA Finals has been defined by remarkable perseverance after overcoming a series of significant setbacks across two seasons.
Shamet joined New York on an Exhibit 9 contract in September 2024, suffered a dislocated shoulder during preseason, and was subsequently waived before being re-signed in December.
Former coach Tom Thibodeau barely used Shamet during the playoffs, forcing him to battle his way back onto the roster again last fall by outcompeting several other players for the final spot.
His role became far more consistent under Mike Brown, and Shamet now finds himself preparing for his first ever NBA Finals appearance.
“It means everything to be going to the Finals, and we’ve got a lot more to do,” Shamet said. “Really proud of this group and happy to be a part of this group, and we all know what it’s going to require from us moving forward. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
The Knicks will have navigated a second nine-day layoff by the time Wednesday’s Finals opener tips off, and the extended break has already shown it can affect their rhythm early in games.
The team fell into a 22-point hole against Cleveland before rallying to win Game 1 of the conference finals, a deficit many attributed to the rust accumulated during the first long break.
“Obviously, rust will be a thing, just having not shot in an NBA game in a while. But we’ll do a better job this time around of preparing for that kind of situation to happen,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.
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