Wednesday night, the New York Knicks downed the Cleveland Cavaliers by a final score of 106-95 and, in turn, managed to punch their ticket to the second round of the playoffs for just the first time in a decade and for the second time since 1999-2000.
Tom Thibodeau‘s club once again proved to be a phenomenal unit on both ends of the floor, and big man Mitchell Robinson played a significant role in their immaculate two-way production.
Following the outing, teammate Josh Hart gave the 25-year-old a rave review for his efforts on the hardwood during the night and throughout the season as a whole.
“He showed this series why he’s one of the best bigs in the league. He was huge for us on the defensive end, he’s gotta be the best rebounder in the league just in terms of how he goes and gets the ball on both the defensive and offensive rebounds. He was huge for us, blocking shots, rebounding, controlling the paint. Like I said, he showed this series why he’s one of the best bigs in the league,” Josh Hart said of Mitchell Robinson.
.@joshhart with @RebeccaHaarlow on Mitchell Robinson’s massive game:
“He showed this series why he’s one of the best bigs in the league … he’s gotta be the best rebounder in the league”
Mitchell Robinson had himself arguably the best postseason game of his young NBA career in Game 5 against the Cavaliers, as he finished off with 13 points, 18 rebounds (11 of which were offensive), 3 blocks, and 2 steals while shooting 66.7% from the field.
Julius Randle Re-Aggravated Left Ankle in Knicks Win
While winning their first playoff series since 2013 should certainly be cause for celebration for this Knicks team, the triumph seems to be a bit more sobering than previously expected as their lone All-Stare came away from their Game 5 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers noticeably hobbled.
Julius Randle heads to the locker room after re-injuring his ankle
Late in the second quarter, Julius Randle crashed to the floor after landing awkwardly on Caris LeVert’s foot following a defensive contest. The ailment sent him back to the locker room and, ultimately, saw him return to the sidelines donning street clothes.
Per New York’s official PR Twitter page, the big man re-aggravated his left ankle sprain sustained late in the regular season.
Prior to going down, Randle was having a phenomenal start to the game for the Knicks, as he finished the night with 13 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.
RJ Barrett Praises Knicks Roster Depth
While the injury to star Julius Randle is certainly an unfortunate situation for the Knicks, during his on-court postgame interview fourth-year wing RJ Barrett gave the impression that the club has the kind of depth to help hold them over in times of hardship such as this.
“Man, [Josh] Hart has always been big there, and you know, Obi [Toppin] stepped up big time, especially at the beginning of the third [quarter] right there. So, he gave us some life,” Barrett said.
RJ on the attack 💪
(via @TheKnicksWall)
Despite a slow start to this best-of-seven quarterfinals matchup against Cleveland, in Game 5 RJ Barrett put forth his third-consecutive top-flight outing for the Knicks.
In just shy of 36 minutes played, the 22-year-old finished the series-clinching contest with a tremendous stat line of 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 53.8% from the field and 50.0% from deep.
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Josh Hart Issues Bold Statement on Mitchell Robinson After Knicks Beat Cavs