The Boston Celtics went again to the intentional foul technique in Sport 3 — and this time, it labored.
After largely abandoning the “Hack-a-Mitch” method in Sport 2, Boston resumed deliberately fouling Knicks heart Mitchell Robinson on Saturday. The outcomes favored the defending champs: Robinson shot simply 4-of-12 from the free throw line within the loss, together with a number of momentum-halting misses.
He had gone 3-of-10 on the line in Sport 1 and solely took one free throw in Sport 2.
“Just process over results,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned after the sport. “You just always stick to the process of what you think gives you the best chance to win on that possession and to win in that game.”
Robinson completed with six factors and eight rebounds in 19 minutes in Sport 3. After posting a plus-13 and plus-19 in his minutes throughout the primary two video games, the Knicks have been outscored by three with their defensive anchor on the ground Saturday.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau acknowledged the problem of balancing Robinson’s defensive impression with the draw back of repeated intentional fouls.
The NBA’s 2016 rule change prevents “Hack-a-Shaq” fouling within the last two minutes of any quarter. Away-from-the-ball fouls throughout that window lead to free throws and possession for the fouled workforce — making a narrower window for exploiting poor free throw shooters earlier in every quarter.
“You’ve gotta make a decision between five [minutes left in a quarter] and two, and then you go from there,” mentioned Thibodeau. “If he’s making, he stays. If he’s not, you gotta get him out. And then there’s the impact on the game. Is it more beneficial to leave him in? So there’s a lot of factors that go into that.”
Robinson shot 68% from the road in the course of the common season — a profession excessive — however he’s traditionally struggled on the stripe. He’s shot beneath 50% in every of his earlier 4 seasons and hit simply 26.7% in Spherical 1 towards the Detroit Pistons.
He’s now 7-of-23 (30.4%) from the road by three video games in Spherical 2. And by repeatedly sending him there, the Celtics aren’t simply disrupting the Knicks’ offensive rhythm — they’re attempting to pressure Thibodeau to sub out one among his most impactful defenders.
“You encourage [him],” mentioned Jalen Brunson. “It’s a tough position to be in, especially mentally. But you have to encourage. We’re going to have each other’s backs regardless. No matter what happens, win together, lose together, we’ll go through that together.”
