NBA Games don’t typically boil down to just one possession. But one possession can often tell the story of a game. This is "One Possession,” a recurring series where we highlight one notable sequence from every Celtics game during the 2026-27 season.

Jayson Tatum loudly delivered the Boston Celtics to the finish line of a gritty win over the defending champion New York Knicks during the green’s home-opener Friday night at TD Garden. But what shouldn’t get lost amid Tatum’s heroics is the “Welcome to Boston” sequence that newcomer Mitchell Robinson provided against his former team earlier in that final frame.

The first six regular-season quarters of Robinson’s Boston tenure were less than ideal. Robinson himself admitted that he, “played like ass,” in the Celtics’ season-opener in Detroit, then picked up two early fouls against the Knicks.

But Robinson might finally have settled in with a loud fourth-quarter sequence that helped Boston build a cushion it would need to fend off the Knicks.

The Celtics were operating without Tatum early in the fourth quarter when Robinson chased down a charging Karl Anthony Towns and swatted his layup attempt into the Boston bench with a big left-handed volleyball swat. The Knicks maintained possession but Robinson vacuumed in a Mikal Bridge missed floater soon after.

At the other end of the floor, Robinson rolled hard after setting a screen for Derrick White and was rewarded with a lob that he reached back to corral with an outstretched right arm, then flushed it strong to put Boston on top 91-79 with 8:31 to play.

Robinson picked up his fifth foul going back up the floor but the stoppage allowed 1) TD Garden to salute Robinson for the loud sequence, especially as he checked out in the aftermath, and 2) Viewers at home got a million replays of the block/oop combo.

Robinson finished with four points, four rebounds (two on the offensive glass), two assists, and the lone block over 22 minutes of floor time. He hasn’t had the oversized impact on the glass that we saw at times throughout his New York tenure and in glimpses with Boston during the preseason, but that fourth-quarter sequence might help Robinson exhale a bit given two tough matchups for the Celtics to start the 2026-27 regular season.

“New here, so kind of got to get used to seeing how they really play and stuff like that,” said Robinson. "So as it goes, stuff will start to happen.

"I think I played better [than Game 1]. Not like how I wanted to, but it was way better than the first game. Definitely.”

Credit to Luka Garza, who got thrust into action again Friday with both Robinson and Neemias Queta in early foul trouble. Garza chipped in 8 points over 3:30 to give the Celtics a much-needed first-half boost. The Robinson/Queta combo got going in the second half, with Queta knocking down just the second 3-pointer of his pro career, and Robinson delivering at both ends.

The Celtics dominated the offensive glass throughout the preseason and getting Robinson active on the glass can alleviate some of the rough patches the team has navigated to start the regular season.

And Robinson’s loud fourth-quarter stretch showed how impactful he can be, even in just small stretches.