Matchup in middle will be massive test
It was quite the difference in series for Mitchell Robinson.
One he utterly dominated against Cleveland, the other he appeared overwhelmed by Bam Adebayo’s versatility.
Is he looking forward to an encore? “Hell yeah,” he told The Post recently. “This year, I’m going to show more.”
Robinson’s role for his second playoffs will probably be diminished — he’s no longer the starter following midseason ankle surgery — but his position is again at the forefront.
Whether the Knicks face the Heat or the 76ers in Saturday’s Game 1, there’s an All-Star center on the other side. Joel Embiid is dynamic and huge at 280 pounds. Adebayo is smaller but also physical.
Both can hit midrange shots. Both can put the ball on the floor. Both draw fouls. Adebayo even started taking more 3-pointers this season (though still many fewer than Embiid). The matchups will draw Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein away from the basket, and out of their comfort zones — which was an issue last year when the Knicks were bounced by the Heat in six games of the second round.
“He’s not like your average 5,” Robinson said of Adebayo. “You know what I mean? He brings it up the court most of the time, so it’s like, not many [centers] are doing that. But watching that from last year and just watching him over the season this year, I got a pretty good idea [of what to do].”
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, whose playoff record (31-41) hasn’t matched up with his regular-season success, said the defense will be diversified against Embiid or Adebayo.
“We have several coverages. There’s a drop. There’s a blitz. There’s several things in-between,” he said. “Our shell is built a certain way. And then depending upon who you’re playing and who’s the personnel on the floor, you’re gonna adjust that accordingly. So I don’t think there’s a steady diet — and look, we can play great defense, and they’re still gonna make it. You’re talking about MVP-caliber players here, so we know we can’t give them a steady diet, or they’ll adjust to that as well.”
Still, there’s only so much to do to combat Adebayo or especially Embiid, who averaged nearly 35 points per game this season. Adebayo averaged 19.3 points and 10.4 boards while earning his third All-Star appearance.
In last year’s series against the Knicks, Adebayo more than doubled the points (112) of Robinson and Hartenstein combined (48).
“When you’ve got great players, they’re gonna put you in situations where you’ve gotta determine what you’re going to be willing to live with,” Thibodeau said. “Is the midrange shot something you would rather have them taking than the layup or the open 3? Or does it lead to another offensive rebound, which is another high-value shot? So weighing all of those things is something that you have to do, but I know we have to mix our coverages up.”
Robinson, 26, is also grappling with his recovery from ankle surgery. He returned less than a month ago after missing 50 straight games, and has since felt discomfort in his ankle twice. The latest was in the season finale Sunday afternoon, when Robinson was ruled out of the second half of a victory over the Bulls.
“It was just my landing,” Robinson said. “I jammed [my ankle] up pretty much. It wasn’t turned or nothing. It was just the way I landed.”
He practiced in full Tuesday — one day before Adebayo and Embiid face off in the play-in tournament — and is happy for the time off. Lateral movement has been an issue, he said, and Robinson hasn’t yet returned to form as Hartenstein gripped harder on the starting role.
Their margins of error will evaporate and their foul limits will be tested against the next opponent, an All-Star either way.
“Lateral movement. That’s pretty much really what [my problem is],” Robinson said. “I got a whole week to prepare, so I should get better and better each day, and just go.
“It’s still getting there. Missing 50 games or whatever it was, now at this point, I kind of just have to just roll with it, just go out there and just fight, you know? It’s game time. We gotta go.”