Miami's Duncan Robinson dribbled around a screen that might have been forced into the lane, but the town of Karl Anthony approached the top of the paint.
So he tried the second option and Bam Adebayo rolled from that screen towards the hoop.
Robinson moved to Adebayo. Adebayo stopped just inside the free throw line, and the town leapt over him, with Mitchell Robinson coming in behind.
Unable to go anywhere, Adebayo tried to cut off Keruelware, but Robinson's long arm knocked out the ball for one of the Knicks' 12 steels at night.
“When there are two seven-footers out there,” coach Tom Thibodeau says later.
“I think that's had a big impact on the game.”
With eight games in his season, Robinson's influence began to be felt.
Among some positive developments from Monday's heat victory, there was Robinson, who played 20 minutes in the game for the first time this season.
After leaving the court for about 10 months after ankle surgery, the defensive center began to look like himself.
At 23:43 in court on Monday, Robinson scored five points in the evening, earning 10 points with nine rebounds (five attacks), two steals, two blocks and assists.
The less concrete was the number of thermal drives he cancelled out because of his presence.
“Rim protection is rim protection,” and when he began his long list of encouragement from Robinson, he said, “the ability to defend, challenge, cover many ground, return to pick and roll, and make a second or third effort to turn the shot back to the rebound.
“He's making great moves. He feels good.”
That last part may be the most important. Robinson has rehabilitated repeated injuries since 2021, from broken hands and feet to ankle surgery, which has been limited to 98 games over the past three seasons.
He is slowly building up following his left ankle surgery in May, which was characterized as “small,” but kept him out of action until late February.
Without Jalen Brunson, Robinson began his longer run while Knicks tested how to win without a captain.
“It feels good,” Robinson said Monday. “We're finally back to the rhythm a little.”
He looked more comfortable, and it gave the Knicks different ways to succeed.
At his best, Robinson defends for all loose balls and charges with Springs. In a very small sample size so far this season, his offensive rebound of 8.4 per 100 people began to be played sixth in the NBA on Tuesday.
And his pairing with the town is one of the more interesting developments of the final weeks of the regular season.
The two didn't play together, but the town looked natural alongside Rudy Goatbert's another seven-footer. Last year, they took the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals.
The combination was played in just 19 minutes, with towns of 4 and Robinson defensively supporting everywhere, but only a few minutes of encouragement.
During their time, the Knicks offense has an offensive rating of 145.9 (measured team points per 100 per 100 person) and a defensive rating of 100.
Robinson admitted in early games that “we built trust” when the duo learn to play with each other.
However, the team's backcourt trusts the already adapted frontcourt, allowing the Knicks security guards and wings to hound the hot guards and wings freely on Monday.
If you have a 7-foot safety net pair behind you, you can play with more attacks, which will help force 20 Miami turnovers.
“OG” [Anunoby is] At the forefront of them,” added Thibodeau. “He's been very long.
“The basket is protected.”
Robinson is still off the bench and as the Knicks visit San Antonio and Charlotte, his availability is worth monitoring the next two days.
Robinson hasn't played back to back yet.
But when he was in court he looked like Mitchell Robinson.
“I thought the defense was great,” Thibodeau said. “I thought Mitch was a big factor.”
