For Mitchell Robinson, playing in the NBA Finals was never in doubt. 

“I’ve been here for eight years,” he told reporters postgame. “There’s no way I was going to miss this.”

The longest-tenured Knick did find himself listed as questionable, though, after having to undergo surgery to repair a fractured fifth metacarpal in his right hand last week.

Robinson was expected to be able to get back out there with the team, and he ended up officially being cleared by the training staff after going through pregame warmups. 

It still hasn’t been revealed exactly how the injury occurred, but it proved to be no hinderance as he made his presence felt in the Knicks’ Game 1 victory. 

Robinson was able to chip in 13 strong minutes off the bench for Mike Brown.

His lone basket came midway through the second quarter, when he threw down a slam to complete an alley-oop feed from Jalen Brunson,helping New York chip away at a Spurs advantage. 

The big man missed the free-throw trying to cap off the three-point play. 

Robinson also missed his only other field goal attempt on the night, but was still able to make his mark elsewhere, finishing third on the team with six rebounds (five defensive, one offensive). 

He also held up well in a defensive matchup with Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama, including a couple of possessions while the game was tight in the fourth quarter. 

Overall, it was the type of effort Brown and the Knicks were hoping for. 

“He was still a vertical threat,” the head coach said. “And I thought he was good defensively, as well.”

Even if he isn’t at full strength, the seven-footer could be huge for New York as they look to slow down Wembanyama as this series progresses.