Mitchell Robinson’s broken finger is no excuse if Knicks fail to win NBA title

Sorry, but New York City did not wait more than half a century for an NBA championship to be denied by a pinkie finger.

A broken pinkie finger belonging to Mitchell Robinson, that is, suffered while the Knicks big man was doing something unrelated to his craft.

Robinson had surgery to repair the damage on his right hand, and maybe he’ll play in Wednesday night’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Oklahoma City or San Antonio. Maybe not. Either way, this much is certain: The backup center’s status will not be an excuse for the Knicks failing to win their first title since 1973.

Despite his foul-line misadventures, Robinson is a vital and unique player, no question about it. If you assembled a list of plausible fan concerns during the Knicks’ historic 11-game playoff winning streak, a Robinson injury would have landed somewhere near the top.

With his size, length and relentless motor, he can torment opposing front lines under the boards and in the lane. Robinson is indeed a lethal threat on pick-and-roll lobs.

But the Knicks have far too much going for them to let this derail their bid to topple the Spurs or the Thunder, who have their own bumps and bruises to worry about. In fact, if Robinson’s injury does end up costing the Knicks a title, then they weren’t title-worthy to begin with.

Out of left field, this part of the Knicks’ story is a strange sidebar that doesn’t quite fit the feel-good run. New York has likable stars, a likable coach and a likable style of play, creating a connection between team and city similar to the one established in the early 1970s.

The assumption before Friday’s practice, which Robinson didn’t participate in, was that the center was injured at some point during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But in an unexpected news conference twist, Mike Brown, who has been lights out as a front-facing representative of the franchise, disclosed that Robinson was not playing offense or defense when he got hurt. “It was not at practice yesterday, and it wasn’t in the game,” the coach said.

A team spokesperson intercepted the obvious follow-up by saying the team wasn’t discussing the specifics of what went down, putting the ball back in Robinson’s court. At some point, the big man might explain what happened — even if he did something he shouldn’t have been doing when he broke his finger.

Robinson is a popular player with fans who appreciate his energy and generosity of spirit. The Knicks could sure use him against Victor Wembanyama if the Spurs end up on the other side of the finals draw.

How hard is it to play with a broken pinkie?

“It varies,” Brown said. “Different strokes for different folks. Maybe (it’s) one way for me or a different way for him. … That’s hard to generalize for an entire population.”

Until he hears from the team’s medical staff that Robinson can play, Brown doesn’t want to know the details. He just wants to coach the players who are available, and he doesn’t care to read, watch or listen to the media voices analyzing his work, even if those critiques are glowing.

Brown learned from Rick Carlisle years ago about the importance of maintaining an even temperament, of keeping your cool when everybody around you seems to be losing theirs.

“I feel like I’m pretty good at that,” Brown said. “We all have had curveballs come at you that are bigger than (Robinson’s injury) in life, and trying to even do it when you have those curveballs helps you prepare for something that is really a kid’s game. So that’s what I try to do, no matter what it is.”

It’s an easier proposition to manage when you are coaching a team that’s blowing out postseason opponents at a record pace. The Knicks did not face a murderers’ row in the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Cavaliers, but their first trip to the finals since 1999 is, above all, a testament to team president Leon Rose’s roster construction masterpiece.

“Leon … and his staff have done a frickin’ fantastic, fantastic job,” Brown said. “And I’d even take it a step further. It doesn’t happen if Mr. (James) Dolan wants to keep his hands in his pocket and not allow Leon to go do his work.”

Brown spoke of an organizational alignment that cuts vertically and horizontally and creates “a trust that allows us to do our jobs at the highest level.” As much as Brown’s predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, deserves credit for turning a hopelessly lost franchise into a contender, a lack of alignment — Thibodeau did not have a collaborative relationship with several front-office executives — ultimately cost Thibs his dream job.

That was then, and this is now. Brown has the Knicks playing postseason basketball like it’s never been played, and his lead stars are Jalen Brunson, who was 2 when his father played on the last Knicks team to reach the finals, and Karl-Anthony Towns, the New Jersey kid who grew up a New York fan desperate to find himself a Jeremy Lin jersey.

It’s been a helluva journey, but hey, nothing in life or sports is perfect. Knicks fans have been scarred too many times to believe they were going to keep this magic carpet ride going, without a hitch, right through the finals and straight into a parade.

Mitch is the hitch.

“It’s an unfortunate thing that happened to him,” Towns said.

“If this playoff run has shown anything, I feel, to the fans and media, 1 through 15 will go out there and put the Knicks jersey on and get the job done, and we truly believe in that. So, this is a situation that we’ve garnered enough experience and trust in each other that whatever the picture ends up being when we step on that court on Wednesday, we feel confident.”

The Knicks have earned the right to believe in their chances to win it all. Though they might get stopped by the Thunder or Wemby, they have been too good for too long to let a fractured finger beat them.