It’s been a season of memorable highs and forgettable lows for one Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson.
After enjoying his best season in 2008-09, where he averaged 17.2 points and 4.1 assists per game and won his second Sprite Slam Dunk Championship, Robinson re-signed with the New York Knicks for one year and his star appeared to be on the rise.
But on December 1, 2009, Robinson’s world took a drastic turn for the worse when he became persona non grata in Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni’s playing rotation. The 25-year-old Robinson would not see a single minute of action for 14 consecutive games due to irreconcilable personality differences between player and coach.
When he made his return on New Year’s Day 2010, Robinson helped snap the Knicks out of a funk, in which they lost 3 of 4, by coming off the bench to score 41 points, dish out 8 assists, and snare 6 rebounds in a 112-108 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Robinson, the 21st overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft, would lead the Knicks in scoring four more times in the month prior to 2010 All-Star Weekend, in which one of the highlights was Robinson winning a record third Sprite Slam Dunk Championship.
However, just five days later, Robinson’s 4-year tenure in New York would come to an end, largely due to the organization’s effort to clear salary cap space for this summer, when President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh traded Robinson and Marcus Landry to the Boston Celtics for Bill Walker, Eddie House and J.R. Giddens.
And in an average of 14.7 minutes of spot duty over the final 26 games of the regular season, Robinson averaged 6.5 points and 2.0 assists per game.
In the playoffs, Robinson saw his minutes drop by more than half, along with his scoring average, as he and the rest of the country watched Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo blossom into a superstar.
But with Boston in desperate need of closing out the Orlando Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics got an unexpected spark from Robinson who, in only 13 minutes of action coming off the bench, mostly in the second quarter, scored 13 points and electrified the TD Garden doing exactly what made him a crowd favorite at Madison Square Garden.
Robinson hit two 3-pointers in a span of 90 seconds to lift Boston to a 15-point lead over the Magic and completely turn the tide of the game and the series in the Celtics’ favor.
So, in barely over 10 minutes, the Knicks’ garbage, figuratively speaking, became the Celtics’ treasure and Nate Robinson went from the outhouse to the penthouse.
In addition, this week, while New York comes up with new and innovative ways to grovel at the feet of LeBron James, Robinson will be playing in the NBA Finals.
Shake and Bake!
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes a visual look back at Nate Robinson's inspiring Game 6 performance off the bench in the Eastern Conference Finals.
How the NY Knicks helped the Boston Celtics get to the NBA Finals
