If the Knicks keep their strategy, the Celtics will also stick with theirs.
With Mitchell Robinson shooting an abysmal 30% (7-of-23) from the free throw line during the Eastern Conference semifinals, Celtics head coach Mazzulla sees no reason to adjust his Hack-A-Mitch strategy that’s been going for the first three games of the series.
The initial adjustment would come from Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. But, it seems the coach isn’t changing things before the series swings to Boston.
For Game 4, the Knicks started the game with Robinson on the bench. A move to the starting lineup could possibly work in the Knicks’ favor: early Boston foul trouble and the Knicks getting extra shots with their opponents in the bonus.
“Well there’s a lot of thoughts that you put into it,” Thibodeau said about the idea of Robinson starting. “Again, the strategy of what are they doing? Are they in the bonus? Do they get us to the bonus? And then how many is he making? You’re basing it on points per possession and it does allow you to set your defense, so there’s pluses with it and then what’s he creating with the offensive rebounding.”
A switch in the starting lineup, though, removes a key contributor for the Knicks. There’s almost no chance the head coach benches All-Star Center Karl-Anthony Towns — even with his apparent injury — for Robinson. And removing Josh Hart takes away Thibodeau’s favorite Swiss Army Knife that’s been reliable all season.
When asked if the Knicks would deploy the same starters for Game 4, Thibodeau said “we could be.” The head coach usually responds with that answer for questions about the starting lineup.
So it looks as if nothing will change — for now.
The Celtics will keep on fouling as long as Robinson keeps missing.
And that’s just fine for Mazzulla.
“Yeah just process over results,” Mazzulla said about the Hack-A-Mitch strategy after the Celtics’ Game 3 victory. “You just always stick to the process of what you think gives you the best chance to win on that possession and to win that game.”
