BOSTON — Nate Robinson got a standing ovation when he checked in late in the first quarter, but the Boston crowd got introduced quickly to the erratic nature of the former Knick sparkplug’s game.
Robinson coughed up the ball on his first two plays. He was not much of a factor in the Celtics’ 110-106 victory last night in his Boston debut, scoring just 4 points on 2-of-7 shooting. But he’s out of the losing culture in New York.
“I landed in Boston, this is definitely a plus,” Robinson said. “I’m happy. There’s a big smile on my face.”
Nearly 45 reporters jammed into an interview room for Robinson’s introductory press conference at the new Boston Garden.
The hype for Nate is great, as the three-time slam-dunk champion is more recognizable than most All-Stars. But Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni wasn’t exactly fearing Robinson’s impact.
D’Antoni took one last sarcastic dig at Robinson.
When asked if he worried Robinson would unleash his fury on the Knicks, D’Antoni cracked, “I really thought more about [Kevin] Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, [Rajon] Rondo, [Kendrick] Perkins. Then Nate. But he’ll be supercharged.”
Robinson visited the Knicks locker room before the game, shaking hands with everyone. He acknowledged his feud with D’Antoni, who benched him 14 games in December that ultimately led to his trade-deadline departure last Thursday. When Robinson said good-byes at the practice facility last week, he never spoke to the Knicks coach.
After agent Aaron Goodwin demanded a trade in late December, the Celtics immediately became interested and the trigger finally was pulled.
“I did everything Coach asked, and I guess it wasn’t good enough,” Robinson said. “I was always going to keep trying, even if we don’t see eye to eye. I’m a firm believer everything happens for a reason. Everything won’t be perfect. There have probably been times your mom and dad didn’t see eye to eye, but you’re still going to love and respect them. I still respect coach and love coach.”