Mitchell Robinson went from Knicks in five to a Celtic in four.

The tenured center will be once again be involved in a high-profile New York Knicks game on Friday night. For the first time, however, he’s doing so as a member of the opposition, as Robinson will rep the rival Boston Celtics in their 2026-27 home opener.

“It’s definitely different [without him],” Josh Hart said of the Robinson-less Knicks on Thursday, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “Obviously, that’s someone who’s had a big presence here, big presence in the locker room. It’s different. No one else listens to country [music] but me, so that’s tough in the weight room. The lack of his presence is obviously felt a little bit. That’s why it’s a new team.”

If anyone in Manhattan had earned their championship dues last spring, it was no doubt Robinson, who averaged 8.0 rebounds and 7.5 points in eight tours with the Knicks. He now resides in Boston amidst the Knicks’ steadfast quest to remain out of second apron territory as the lasting Manhattan foe offered him just under $48 million over the next three seasons.

Robinson was by far the longest-tenured player on last year’s title team, a rare remnant of the lottery-bound clubs from the turn-of-the-decade. Things came full circle for Robinson in the clinching game of June’s NBA Finals: Robinson pulled in a crucial offensive rebound off a missed Hart free throw in the final half-minute, one that helped the Knicks create a multi-possession lead en route to the Larry O’Brien Trophy hoist in San Antonio.

For Robinson and the purgatorial Celtics (0-1), Friday’s game is strictly business with new employers coming off a brutal opening afternoon defeat that saw them blow a 22-point lead to the Detroit Pistons.

Robinson said facing the Knicks didn’t “really matter that much” in the wake of both teams enduring Tuesday turmoil. Partly hampered by an in-game ankle injury, Robinson played only 18 minutes in Boston’s 121-113 defeat. The four-point, three-rebound outing was enough to steer Robinson away from the Knicks’ championship ring presentation and banner raising.

Perhaps afforded nostalgia by championship consolation, members of the Knicks were able to fondly remember Robinson as they prepared to make the trek to Beantown.

“It’s bittersweet. You love Mitch. We’ve done so many historical things together here,” noted Robinson’s fellow center Karl-Anthony Towns in video from SNY. “To not see him in a Knicks jersey anymore [stings]. We’re a family unit. To not be able to have him with us on this journey after that amazing journey we went through is bittersweet. But it’s going to be amazing to be able to see our brother, hug him, show him some love and compete playing basketball like we love to do.”

“We made each other better. He brought the best out of me, and I feel that I was able to bring the best out of him. Mitch was a big part of this team winning a championship and probably has the most important offensive rebound in Knicks history.”

Robinson’s name continues to pepper the metropolitan record book: he stands as the Knicks’ all-time leader in field goal percentage (.702) and is top three in both blocks (690) and offensive rebounds (1,484). He’ll no doubt garner a warm ovation and a lengthy video tribute when the Celtics visit Madison Square Garden on March 14.

For the time being, however, the Knicks “want to kick [Robinson’s butt] like he probably wants to kick” theirs, as head coach Mike Brown humorously put it on Thursday.

Despite falling to Philadelphia on Tuesday, the Knicks conducted themselves well in the interior during the first Robinson-free excursion: Towns put up a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double despite early foul trouble while Andre Drummond had double figures in both points and rebounds before the first half let out. New York outrebounded Philadelphia 14-6 offensive and put up 28 second chance points while allowing only seven.