Getty

Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks

If there is one issue that so often encapsulates what has been holding back this Knicks team throughout this odd NBA season, it has been a lack of edge–a certain cool disinterest, an unwillingness to get emotional when it’s called for. That applies to much of the Knicks starting five. It does not apply to center Mitchell Robinson, the primary big man off the bench.

Robinson was at the center of a dust-up in Game 6 in Atlanta on Thursday, a steamroller of a game for New York, one which saw the Knicks build a 40-15 first-quarter lead and pull ahead by as many as 61 points. There was obvious frustration on the part of the Hawks, though tension has been building up between Robinson and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels throughout this series.

Finally, it spilled over into confrontation on a free throw by OG Anunoby with the Knicks ahead, 72-22. Robinson appeared to reach around his side and put his arm up around Daniels’ neck, before turning and stepping into Daniels, face-to-face. After that, the pair went in for some pushing and shoving.

Mitchell Robinson Ejected From Game 6

The scrum moved out past the 3-point line, and both Daniels and Robinson were whistled for technical fouls, and might have gotten off there. But the two kept jawing at each other, and even after having been separated by teammates and coaches, Daniels and Robinson continued to try to get after each other. Both were ejected from the game.

For Daniels, with the Hawks eliminated from the playoffs thanks to the Game 6 blowout, there won’t be repercussions. But for Robinson, as James Edwards III of The Athletic pointed out, there is now some fear of a suspension that could bleed into the next rounds.

As Edwards wrote on Twitter/X: “Mitch and Dyson Daniels are having a fight that has gone into the stands. That one was brewing all series. Mitch tried to run after him again after they were separated. Question isn’t if they’ll be ejected from this game. Will it impact Game 1 of the next round?”

Knicks Moving to Eastern Conference Semis

Of course, the fact that there is a Round 2 coming the Knicks’ way is the big story, after the team put some fear into the fan base by losing Games 2 and 3 (each by one point), and looking like a frayed group along the way. But the Knicks responded with two straight wins, first by 16 points, then by 29 points, before the record-setting drubbing New York put on the Hawks on Thursday.

Strangely, it was just days ago that the Knicks appeared to be the weak link in the chain of Eastern Conference contenders. But with the Pistons, Celtics and Cavaliers all losing ground in their series, suddenly the Knicks are looking like the East favorites.

Especially encouraging were the numbers posted by the Knicks’ wings in the game, with OG Anunoby going for 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting and most important, Mikal Bridges notching 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting. Bridges had looked like a shell of himself coming into the night, with just 25 points on 9-for-23 shooting in his last four games.

The Game 6 performance indicates that’s behind him and he should be ready for Round 2. Whether Mitchell Robinson is ready, too, remains to be seen.