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New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson had a technical foul against him from Game 2 of the NBA Finals rescinded after the league took a look back.
During the Knicks’ 105-104 thrilling win on Friday to push their series lead to 2-0, Robinson and San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama were involved in a shoving match near the paint, which resulted in a whistle.
But despite both players getting physical, it was only Robinson who received a technical foul. Both players were trying to fight for position, but when Wembanyama threw his hands in the air, Robinson was the one getting a foul.
This came with 4:56 left in the first half, and required Karl-Anthony Towns to come back in the game.
A technical foul is free throws and possession of the ball, which could’ve hurt the Knicks in the end. However, they once again stole a game on the road, as they head to Madison Square Garden for its first Finals game since 1999 against these same Spurs.
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The game came down to the final possession, where Wembanyama, who turned the ball over and fouled Jalen Brunson to allow him to hit one of two free throws for the eventual game-winning bucket, missed the final shot to suffer back-to-back losses.
Robinson was defending Wembanyama on the play, but when the 7-foot-4 big man went for the shot, he had a clear look. However, it smacked off the rim and bounced out. Devin Vassell secured the rebound for San Antonio, but there wasn’t enough time left on the clock despite banking in his shot.
Robinson ended up playing 14 minutes for the Knicks, tallying seven points, three rebounds, one block and one steal across that span.
He has been playing these Finals games thus far with a surgically repaired pinky finger on his right hand, which reportedly happened at his home just days before tip-off against the Spurs. The Knicks had time to kill after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Robinson plays a key role for head coach Mike Brown’s team, being one of the main bench players who has made an impact this year. He not only spells Towns when he’s tired or gets into foul trouble, but Robinson also does well to protect the paint, grab rebounds and slam home the occasional alley-oop.
The Spurs, though, used the “Hack-A-Mitch” game plan when Towns got into foul trouble and they were trying to make a run in the second quarter of Game 2. Purposefully getting into the team bonus, fouling Robinson awarded him two free throws, but he has struggled at a historic rate. Robinson is shooting just 32% (16-50) from the charity stripe in 15 games.
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That will likely be used by Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson if the opportunity arises again, but both teams have certainly been physical to begin these Finals. But the NBA decided that a technical on Robinson should not have been the call, and luckily for the Knicks, it didn’t factor into the win at the end of the contest.
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