When Mitchell Robinson got the go-ahead to play in the final preseason game it was an unexpected surprise for the Knicks. And it turned out to be a fortuitous early return from his rehab for a broken right foot because the Knicks needed him in the starting lineup for opening night.
The Knicks hopes for this season have rested on the same sort of good fortune as last season, when they were able to keep most of the team injury-free and safe from the coronavirus shutdowns that other teams struggled through. But as they readied for the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, they found themselves shorthanded already.