Knicks looking forward to seeing Mitchell Robinson — even in a Celtics jersey

Josh Hart spent five years going at it with Mitchell Robinson in practice. Now, they’re about to do it in a real game, on opposing teams.

Friday night against the Celtics in Boston will be the first time the Knicks face Robinson since he left in free agency.

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He signed a three-year, $47.4 million deal — a number the Knicks couldn’t come close to matching under the edict from owner James Dolan to stay under the second apron — to be a new addition to Boston’s starting lineup.

“It’s gonna be the same thing,” Hart said after Knicks practice Thursday. “We’re still gonna be battling for rebounds.”

Hart, who knows the Celtics like to have their center guard the opposing team’s worst shooter — a treatment he’s become accustomed to — is particularly excited for one facet of the matchup.

“They crossmatch a lot, so I’m sure he’ll be guarding me,” Hart said. “When I make a couple, I’m gonna let him know.”

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Jokes aside, it will be a special moment for the Knicks to see Robinson, who had been the longest-tenured Knick on their championship roster, having spent the first eight years of his career with the organization.

“It’s bittersweet,” Karl-Anthony Towns said Thursday, “because you love Mitch. We’ve done so much historical things together here. To not see him in a Knicks jersey anymore, obviously, for all of us, we’re a family unit. You guys are around us every day; you know how much we care about each other, each other’s families, and to not be able to have him with us on this journey after that amazing journey we went through is obviously bittersweet. But it’s gonna be amazing to be able to see our brother, to hug him, be able to show him some love and to obviously compete playing basketball, like we love to do.”

Robinson’s impact extended off the court for the Knicks. He was one of the biggest personalities in the locker room.

“It’s definitely different [without him],” Hart said. “Obviously, that’s someone who’s had a big presence here, big presence in the locker room. It’s different. No one else listens to country [music] but me, so that’s tough in the weight room. The lack of his presence is…

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Publish date : 2026-10-23 01:26:00

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