Blow to the Knicks: Mitchell Robinson suffers a broken finger before the NBA Finals

The New York Knicks received bad news before the start of the NBA Finals. Center Mitchell Robinson suffered a fracture in his right hand's pinkie finger, as reported by ESPN on Thursday.

There is currently no set timeline for his return, so his presence in the title series is in doubt. The injury comes just days after New York secured their Finals spot with a convincing 4-0 sweep over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Robinson played in the fourth game of the series in Cleveland, contributing eight points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes.

The Knicks returned to training on Thursday to prepare for the upcoming NBA Finals starting on Wednesday. Their opponent will be determined by the outcome of the seventh game of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.

Although not a regular starter, Robinson has played an important role in New York's interior rotation throughout the season, particularly as a backup for Karl-Anthony Towns when the Dominican player faces foul trouble.

During the regular season, Robinson averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 19.6 minutes per game. In these playoffs, he was posting averages of 5.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 14.2 minutes coming off the bench.

The Knicks, facing a problem

His defensive impact and ability to control rebounds have been valuable for the Knicks, although his issues from the free-throw line have affected his offensive contribution. In this postseason, he has only converted 13 of 43 free-throw attempts, a 30.2% success rate.

Robinson's potential absence poses a significant setback for the Knicks as they aim to win their first championship since 1973 and make their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.