MIAMI – Mitchell Robinson didn’t have many memorable moments in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, other than key free throws that electrified the Garden and helped the Knicks win Game 5 over the Heat.
On Friday night, Robinson and reserve center Isaiah Hartenstein played another low-key game against All-Star center Bam Adebayo, who had 23 points and nine rebounds in the Heat’s 96-92 series win in Game 6.
Robinson, who sank four of six free throws in New York on Wednesday night as Miami deliberately fouled him in the fourth quarter, finished with two points — also on two late free throws — and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes in the end of the game. season of the Knicks. loss.
Before hitting six of his last eight tries, Robinson had previously shot an abysmal 28 percent (7-for-28) out of the line in the postseason.
Asked before Game 6 if he expected the Heat to continue fouling Robinson, coach Tom Thibodeau replied, “I think it’s situational. As with most teams, your decision is usually made between five and two minutes [of the fourth quarter]depending on where you are in the game.”
The Heat shot 45.0 percent from 3-point range in their five-game elimination of the top-seeded Bucks in a huge first round, a significant improvement from their 27th-place finish (34.4 percent) of 30 NBA teams during the regular season.
They defeated the Knicks despite shooting 30.6 percent in the six games, including going 7-for-27 from long range in Game 6.
“We’ll keep taking those shots and shooting, trusting that everyone in this locker room will take them,” Max Strus said before Game 6. “If they keep giving the impression that they’re playing with fire. So we’ve got guys who can shoot in our team and we all believe in each other and we are going to make them tonight.
Knicks sixth man Immanuel Quickley missed a third straight game with a sprained left ankle sustained in Game 3.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
Quentin Grimes, who only scored three points, said his knee was “fine” after bumping it through an Adebayo screen late in his 48-minute appearance in Game 5.
– Additional reporting by Brian Lewis
Quick break
Hero
The Knicks had no answer to Bam Adebayo throughout the series, and they couldn’t slow him down Friday night. The Heat’s two-time All-Star center badly defeated Mitchell Robinson again as Miami beat the Knicks in the paint, 38-20.
Zero
Choose.
Julius Randle shot 3-for-14. RJ Barrett went 1-for-10.
Jalen Brunson didn’t get nearly enough help from that duo, who were a combined 1-for-10 from 3-point range and committed six of the Knicks’ 12 turnovers.
Randle and Barrett combined for 26 inefficient runs and only 13 after the first quarter.
Unsung hero
Even in defeat, Brunson was brilliant.
He became the first Knick since Patrick Ewing in 1990 to produce three consecutive 30-point playoff games.
He had 41 points on 14-for-22 shooting in 45 minutes, two days after not sitting for a second in a memorable 38-point showing.
Key Stat
26.5 The shooting percentage for the Knicks – except Brunson – as they went a brutal 13-for-49.
—Zach Braziller
