New Celtics center Mitchell Robinson was more than a little tough on himself after his debut for Boston in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, when he logged four points in 18 minutes in a loss to the Pistons, with just three rebounds and two turnovers. Robinson was brought to the Celtics in free agency this summer to add some toughness and grit that team chief Brad Stevens felt was missing last season, especially as the Celtics coughed up a 3-1 lead to the Sixers in the playoffs.
Robinson brought no such thing on Tuesday, though, as the Celtics gave up another 20-plus-point lead and allowed a 23-0 run to the Pistons. “I played like ass. It’s kind of straightforward. And again, I can’t have that,” Robinson told reporters on Thursday.
Certainly, the Celtics would welcome him not playing like that again this season.
Mitchell Robinson: ‘It’s Business’
Robinson’s next shot at redemption should be a big one for him–it’s coming against his old teammates, the Knicks, on Friday at TD Garden. It will not only be his home debut, it will be the first time he’s playing the team he helped to win a championship a year ago. There’s plenty of opportunity for emotion there (he had been the longest tenured Knicks player, a second-round pick in 2018) but Robinson shrugged that off, even though it would be sweet revenge to beat a team that let him walk in free agency for financial reasons..
He’ll save the emotion for another time. The Celtics won’t play at Madison Square Garden until March, and Robinson figures to get his championship ring then.
“It doesn’t matter that I’m playing my former team,” Robinson said. “It’s more just trying to bounce back from what happened two nights ago. At the end of the day, it’s basketball, it’s business. Got to play the team just like you play any other team.”
Celtics, Knicks Both Need a Win
But there will be some Knicks who come into the Celtics game with love for Robinson, even as they try erase the bitter taste of an opening loss just like Boston is doing.
Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns was emotional.
“It’s bittersweet,” he said. “You love Mitch – we’ve done so many historical things together here. To not see him in a Knicks jersey anymore…we’re a family unit. To not be able to have him with us on this journey after that amazing journey we went through is bittersweet.
“But it’s going to be amazing to be able to see our brother, hug him, show him some love and compete playing basketball like we love to do. We made each other better. He brought the best out of me, and I feel that I was able to bring the best out of him. Mitch was a big part of this team winning a championship and probably has the most important offensive rebound in Knicks history.”
Celtics’ Mitchell Robinson Has Blunt Statement on Knicks Revenge Game