The New York Knicks' dominance in the Eastern Conference has put them in their first NBA Finals appearance since Bill Clinton was President of the United States. But unfortunately, they've already caught a pretty bad break: Mitchell Robinson has a broken pinky finger.
Robinson, who has been floated as a Celtics target this offseason, has been crucial to their success, as his ferocity on the boards simultaneously gives them a big who can sub it for Karl-Anthony Towns without the team missing a beat or play alongside him. If he's limited in the finals, the Knicks are in trouble.
Mitchell Robinson has undergone surgery on his broken right pinky finger -- and fully plans to play in the New York Knicks' Game 1 of the NBA Finals against OKC or San Antonio next Wednesday while wearing a brace on his hand, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/IkABI9rMsk
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 29, 2026
Props to Robinson for trying to fight through that, but this could be a problem. If the Knicks feel any better, the Celtics have been in this spot countless times. Sometimes they have been able to fight through it; others, not only could they not do it, but their diminished impact proved too much for them to overcome.
Boston has had multiple big men get hurt at the worst time
The Celtics have had a few too many times where valuable big men got hurt at pretty much the worst time imaginable. This has happened as recently as when they won Banner 18. Remember when Kristaps Porzingis got hurt in Game 4 of their first-round matchup against Miami and missed the rest of their run to the finals?
Of course, what fans remember is his iconic Game 1 performance against Dallas in the NBA Finals, but what many forget is he got hurt again in Game 2. He fought through it valiantly, which didn't matter because Boston had the ultimate safety valve in Al Horford, but it still demonstrates the bad luck they've had.
Not too many years earlier, Boston looked like the NBA's most dominant team in the latter half of the 2021-22 season in part because of Robert Williams III establishing himself as one of the NBA's best rim protectors. Sadly, a torn meniscus late in the season took him out late in the season.
Like Porzingis, he tried to fight through it, and while the Celtics made the NBA Finals, it was clear both how limited he was and how badly it was affecting them. Many believe a fully healthy Timelord was the difference in not getting Banner 18 in 2022.
That's just over the past half-decade. This has happened in previous Celtics eras as well. Remember when Kendrick Perkins blew out his knee in Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals? Remember when Shaq injured his Achilles the following season?
The list goes on. For the Knicks, this is obviously one of those potentially fatal twists you never want to see. For the Celtics, this is just Tuesday...
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