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Mitchell Robinson hasn't exactly carved out his NBA career by scoring the basketball.
The Knicks center, in the seventh year of his professional journey, has never averaged double-digit points in a season — partially due to his reserve status, but also due to his role as a rebounder, defensive disruptor, and rim-runner.
Robinson, however, has severely struggled at the free-throw line throughout his career. It's a weakness of his that has been on full display during the 2025 NBA playoffs, with the Celtics going so far as to foul the center intentionally in the first half of games. But on Saturday, the home crowd at Madison Square Garden decided to take a positive approach to Robinson's free-throw issues, cheering him on as he attempted to even make one shot from the stripe.
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Here's a look at Knicks fans' support for Robinson, plus a breakdown of his rough free-throw shooting throughout New York's playoff run and his career.
MORE: Why Mitchell Robinson has been the Knicks' secret weapon against the Celtics
Knicks fans cheer Mitchell Robinson during free throws
Saturday's Game 3 between the Knicks and Celtics suddenly gave New York a chance to go up 3-0 in the second-round matchup at home. Madison Square Garden was pumped for one of the Knicks' biggest games in years.
Even with the team struggling to keep up with Boston in the first half, there was a highlight moment from the crowd, as fans cheered for Robinson while he was at the free-throw line. During the second quarter, Robinson made his way to the line after shooting just 3-for-10 on free throws in Game 1 of the series and some terrible misses.
Robinson missed the first shot, still getting some applause, then drained the second, causing Madison Square Garden to erupt.
The Knicks crowd supported Mitchell Robinson while he was at the free throw line 🧡
Bigger than basketball 🙌 pic.twitter.com/JfmnGjcY9q
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Mitchell Robinson airball free throws
Some players go through cold spells at the free-throw line, but Robinson has taken it to another level this postseason. His shots are starting to bring the question of whether they'll even hit the rim.
In Game 2 of the Knicks-Celtics series, Robinson's free throw attempt in the fourth quarter hit nothing but air.
"Oh no," TNT analyst Reggie Miller said.
This Mitchell Robinson free throw will go down in historypic.twitter.com/hymlK80AWI
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 8, 2025In Game 3 on Saturday, the free-throw line haunted Robinson once again. He made another attempt that didn't graze the rim, and he knew it right away, cowering over and putting his hands on his head. Teammates came over to lift his spirits following the airball.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 10, 2025Mitchell Robinson free-throw percentage
While the 2025 playoff stage has amplified it, Robinson's free-throw struggles are nothing new.
He's a career 52.2% shooter at the line in the regular season, a number that's fallen all the way down to 34.2% in the playoffs. He came into Saturday's game shooting 7-for-26 (26.9%) from the line so far in the postseason.
Per Carson Breber, Robinson's 25.0% mark from the free-throw line as of Saturday's Game 3 is the lowest free-throw percentage ever in a single NBA postseason, with a minimum of 25 attempts.
Of course, Robinson has still made an impact for the Knicks in many other ways. As an athletic big man, he came into Saturday averaging over six rebounds in 17.8 minutes per game this playoff run, and he logged three steals for New York in its Game 2 win in Boston.
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