The New York Knicks nearly mounted another comeback in the Mike Brown era against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns hit a big three to cut the deficit to two with four minutes to go. Then, with just a minute left, another huge three from the Captain put them ahead 90-89. Somehow, things fell apart for New York from there, and they dropped that game to Philly 98-93.

Fatigue was one reason Josh Hart cited for the fourth-quarter collapse, but another could be that the Knicks miss having a stopper like Mitchell Robinson. Lost under the luster of that championship glow, this offseason showed just how uncertain their center depth is, and it showed up against the Sixers.

Knicks don't have a good answer to the loss of Mitchell Robinson's unique skills

Mike Brown described the Sixers as getting in the Knicks' paint "left and right, right and left, and it was really, really easy doing it." It was the perfect explanation for how easily Philadelphia scored, especially in that fourth quarter.

After the Brunson triple, LeBron James hit a fadeaway jumper to make it 91-90. That was followed by a CJ Edgecombe three, and then, shortly after, a huge put-back by James on the offensive glass that would've been a lot more difficult if the athletic and towering Robinson was on the floor.

Instead, it was OG Anunoby serving as the "center" while flanked by smaller wings in Miles McBride and Josh Hart on a crucial possession with the game on the line.

Harkening back to last year's NBA Cup finale, Robinson was a machine in these situations. He grabbed 15 rebounds—10 of which were offensive ones—in his 18 minutes of play. Eight of those rebounds came in the fourth, and he also had a steal.

The Knicks just aren't getting that kind of production from their bigs once you get past KAT on the depth chart. Third-string center James Wiseman saw another DNP, and Andre Drummond is good, but he doesn't have the ability to impose his will in the paint or change games with his athleticism that Robinson does. Robinson and KAT were a strong tandem, while Friday night Drummond wasn't able to be trusted to get more than a minute in the fourth.

If there was one knock on Brown in that fourth, it was that, with 32 seconds left and the score 91-94, he subbed Towns out for McBride. During those 20 seconds he sat on the bench, James hit the layup to make it 96-91, essentially putting the game on ice.

This goes back to the main point, though, that after Towns, the Knicks don't have a big they can really trust. The numbers show Drummond is adequate in the fourth. According to Databallr, in seven fourth-quarter minutes this year, he has a 125 defensive rating.

He was also pretty solid overall against the Sixers with his six rebounds and wasn't a main reason they lost. Still Brown didn't feel good enough to give him substantial time to close out that game, and for good reason, with Drummond's age showing in the early going on things like loose balls and hustle plays.

Until the Knicks figure out their center situation, Towns essentially carries an extra burden. Against the Spurs in the Cup Finals, Robinson and KAT traded off important minutes in the fourth. The Knicks don't have that extra presence waiting on the bench right now.

When you have somebody like Robinson who was fearless in the face of Wemby, it just becomes hard for teams to impose their will on you. In that Cup Finals game, Wemby couldn't catch a single board with Robinson on the court.

This issue of being overwhelmed in the closing quarter isn't new for these Knicks. The Sixers did the same thing in Game 1. Then, against the Magic, Franz Wagner scored 21 of his 23 points in the fourth. The Magic dropped 40 on the Knicks in that final quarter alone.

Either the Knicks figure something out and find a way to make it work without their stopper, or they might need to go out and get one—otherwise, these closing moments of games are going to be like this all year long.