Mitchell Robinson trotted to the bench with a smile so large, you can see it from the opposite facet of the bridge.
Solely Latrell Sprewell acquired louder applause than the Knicks’ beginning heart Wednesday night time.
It took a Knicks legend sitting courtside throughout an elimination Recreation 5 to one-up the standing ovation Robinson acquired when he spoiled the Miami Warmth’s late-game plans.
Trailing eight with underneath 5:30 left within the fourth quarter of the Warmth’s futile try and close-out their second-round playoff sequence in opposition to the Knicks at Madison Sq. Backyard, the Warmth resorted to deliberately fouling Robinson, a traditionally poor free throw shooter who has shot worse than 50% from the road in every of his final three seasons.
The lanky, athletic huge man stepped to the foul line and mentioned 4 phrases to himself: “I’m knocking these down.”
Robinson made the primary along with his funky — some would say, damaged — free-throw taking pictures kind, then signaled to the gang to cheer louder.
“The gang, they helped me out,” he mentioned postgame. “They mainly confirmed me they believed in me, and I knocked them down.”
It turned clear this was Miami’s sport plan the subsequent time down the ground — the notorious technique to hack an opposing group’s worst free throw shooter, popularized by Shaquille O’Neal’s struggles that shortly turned coined because the “Hack-a-Shaq” methodology.
The Warmth hacked-a-Mitch twice within the waning minutes of the ultimate interval, the next try away from the ball the very subsequent possession.
“We didn’t anticipate it,” start line guard Jalen Brunson mentioned of Miami’s late-game fouling methodology after taking part in all 48 minutes in Recreation 5. “They’re an amazing teaching employees over there. However I feel we have now confidence in Mitch, it doesn't matter what the state of affairs is.”
This time, the embattled shooter made each free throws and exited the sport to an extended, louder ovation when head coach Tom Thibodeau pulled him from the sport seconds later.
And when the 7-foot heart stepped to the road with 21.3 seconds in regulation with the Knicks up six, Robinson calmly netted the primary free throw to successfully finish the sport. He missed the second, however Julius Randle got here up with the rebound, disposed of the closest Warmth defender and dunked house the ultimate basket of the night time — courtesy of a well-placed missed free throw by his beginning heart.
“That was big-time of Mitch to be prepared,” mentioned his teammate, RJ Barrett. “He works on these free throws every single day, so to come back out, particularly in a sport like this, the place it’s do or die. To have the ability to step up and make these free throws was large.”
Robinson completed the night time taking pictures four-of-eight from the foul line, about on par along with his profession common of 1 made free throw for each two makes an attempt. It’s a step ahead for the massive man, nevertheless, contemplating he had shot simply 3-of-12 from the road via the primary 4 video games of this sequence and simply 4-of-11 from the road within the first-round sequence in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“If he goes up there and misses them, he misses them,” Brunson mentioned. “We’re gonna go on the market and have his again on the opposite facet of the ball. We've got nice confidence in him. He made a pair, felt good, and made a pair extra.”
Made free throws are one thing the Knicks will want extra of in the event that they hope to show a as soon as 3-1 playoff sequence deficit into a visit to the Jap Convention Finals. Offense for the Knicks has already been tough to come back by. Robinson might want to knock down each free throw he will get his palms on.
After Wednesday night time, he ought to know a sold-out crowd is able to sing his praises for each shot he knocks down. His head coach, nevertheless, sung praises for causes apart from his well timed shot-making on the line.
“That was large,” Thibodeau mentioned of Robinson’s free throws. “And clearly these have been large free throws, however his rebounding within the fourth, however not simply those that have been in his space, however the ones that have been out of his space. To go get them mentioned loads. The rebounding is huge on this sport, and I feel — clearly, we’ve gotta get our turnovers down — however I feel that the rebounding, that’s an enormous a part of our protection, and we’ve gotta proceed to guarantee that we prioritize it.”
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