The Eastern Conference semifinals will present a very different challenge for Mitchell Robinson.
Coming off his strong playoff debut in the Knicks’ impressive five-game first-round series win over the Cavaliers, the 7-foot center will have to deal with an unorthodox big man in the Heat’s Bam Adebayo.
Adebayo is only 6-foot-9, giving up several inches to Robinson.
But at 255 pounds, he is strong, physical and more of an offensive weapon — averaging 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists as an All-Star this past season — than the Cavaliers’ duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
Adebayo isn’t much of a 3-point threat, but the big man is a quality playmaker able to create off the dribble for himself and others.
“In the sense that he handles the ball more [Adebayo is a different matchup for Robinson], so they initiate the offense through him at times,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said Saturday after his team’s final tune-up for Sunday’s Game 1 at the Garden.
It could mean more time on the perimeter dealing with the versatile Adebayo for Robinson, outside of his comfort zone in the paint.
During the regular season, Robinson was ineffective in three games against the Heat.
The Knicks were outscored by 14.2 points per 100 possessions when Robinson was on the floor, while he produced 4.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in those contests, down from his regular-season numbers.
But Robinson is playing his best basketball at the moment.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
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- Knicks battle but fall in season-ending Game 6 loss to Heat
- Knicks couldn’t survive two minutes without Brunson
- Brunson’s heroic night spoiled by late turnover
An argument can be made that he was the MVP of the Knicks’ victory over Cleveland because of his two-way impact.
By the end of Game 5, he was in the Cavaliers’ heads and they refused to challenge him at the rim.
He grabbed 18 rebounds in that close-out victory, including an astonishing 11 on the offensive glass.
He averaged 8.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in the series, with a through-the-roof 18.1 offensive rebounding percentage.
Only Paul Reed of the 76ers had a higher mark in the first round.
“Missing out on the playoffs a couple of years ago, he’s been very motivated this year,” teammate RJ Barrett said. “He’s been very motivated in the playoffs, and he was a huge reason why we were able to win the last series, and definitely a big reason we were able to win the last game. So he’s motivated, and [we’re] trying to see if he can keep it going.”