NEW YORK — The Knicks are clearly the better team in New York these days, and Mitchell Robinson has also crowned himself NYC’s top center.
A few hours after his team destroyed the Nets at MSG on Wednesday, Robinson sent out a tweet with an unstated comparison to Nets center Nic Claxton.
“Fun fact: Best center in New York,” Robinson tweeted, “and I’m Standing 10 toes on that.”
Robinson later deleted the tweet and claimed he was joking, but then followed up Thursday afternoon.
“Scored 1 bucket on me the WHOLE game,” Robinson tweeted.
In actuality, however, Claxton scored twice on Robinson — an and-1 layup in the first quarter, then an and-1 hook in the third quarter.
Overall, Robinson won the battle in the paint Wednesday while outscoring (13 to 9) and outrebounding (10 to 8) Claxton. Robinson was also perfect from the field on six attempts, while Claxton missed four of his seven shots.
Robinson and Claxton are similar players in many respects as rim protectors and defensive specialists. Claxton’s offensive game is more diversified and polished — which has thrust him into conversations as a top-15 center — but Robinson is the better rebounder, especially on the offensive glass.
The Knicks destroyed Brooklyn’s defense on Wednesday while scoring 142 points, including 56 in the paint.
They share similar ages (Claxton is 23 and Robinson is 24), so this could be a rivalry for years to come.
