Mike Brown Gets a Backup Pair of Glasses
Mike Brown’s priorities shifted dramatically when his actions resembled those of Jeff Van Gundy, almost face-planting on the floor of State Farm Arena while trying to protect Mitchell Robinson during a scuffle with Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels in Game 6.
“I had a lot of good intentions in the moment, but then everything just kind of flew out of my head,” Brown recalled on Saturday. “The only thing that stuck was, well, I needed my glasses…I’m really bad without them. When I went down, they fell right off. At that point, nothing else mattered; I just needed to get my glasses back and keep them safe.”
“So, I’ll definitely be bringing a second pair from now on. This kind of incident was a real wake-up call,” he added.
The whole situation underscored how crucial Robinson is to the team. He was ejected in the second quarter and probably faced suspension for the upcoming round if his coaches hadn’t intercepted him during his intense attempts to get at Daniels.
Robinson incurred a technical foul in Game 2 for stepping over Daniels. The league also fined him $50,000 due to “inappropriate social media posts” that followed the altercation.
Before the game, Robinson, who has been absent from media interviews since the incident, expressed, “My mindset remains unchanged. I’m just feeling a bit lost right now.”
He had previously mentioned that he was “trying hard to keep calm.”
The upcoming challenge for the 28-year-old centers on a second-round clash with the 76ers and their former MVP, Joel Embiid, who ignited animosity at Madison Square Garden and infamously fouled Robinson during the playoffs back in 2024.
“Playoffs are a lot rougher than the regular season,” Brown commented. “Things happen; we’re all human… But at times like this, it’s really important for us to avoid incidents that could lead to further suspensions.”
Robinson’s performance in the first round illustrated both his strengths and weaknesses. He averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1 block, shooting an impressive 88.9% from the field, yet struggled at the free-throw line, making only 5 out of 13 attempts while mostly sitting on the bench after inconsistent time on the court.
Despite this, he remains a significant defensive asset, a consistent alley-oop threat, and even led the league in rebounding percentage, although he ranked last in free throw percentage at 40.8.
Robinson, a bit of a wildcard, had the phrase “Standing on Business” written on his ankle tape before Game 2 against the Hawks, suggesting he could bring some surprises as the series continues.
“We all know what he does on the court can lead to wins,” teammate Karl-Anthony Towns said. “He contributes in ways that might not really show up on the stat sheet, but it definitely gets us the victory. Mitch is an invaluable part of our locker room and our team, and we’ll always have his back when he talks about, I suppose, ‘business.’
