Getty

Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks during an NBA game.

The New York Knicks are up 3-0 on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and they have been doing something quietly brilliant the whole time. A simple trick involving Mitchell Robinson keeps backfiring on Cleveland, and they still have not stopped falling for it.

Robinson is one of the best rim protectors in the game, but he is a terrible free throw shooter. His career playoff free throw percentage is near 50 percent.

So when Cleveland sees him on the floor, they immediately foul him on purpose to send him to the line and waste those possessions. It is called Hack-a-Mitch, and it actually works. Or at least, it is supposed to.

How Knicks’ Mike Brown Is Using Mitchell Robinson to Get the Cavaliers in the Bonus

GettyNew York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson

Coach Mike Brown has figured out how to flip the whole thing around. He times Robinson’s minutes carefully, sending him onto the floor when the Cavaliers are a foul or two away from putting the Knicks in the bonus. Cleveland sees Robinson and does exactly what they want to do: they foul him right away to push themselves over that threshold.

Then Brown immediately pulls Robinson back off. Now the Knicks are in the bonus, Robinson is on the bench, and Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson are at the foul line for the rest of the quarter. Cleveland put themselves in the penalty trying to avoid giving easy points, and ended up giving away even easier points to better free throw shooters.

On top of that, while the foul circus plays out, KAT gets extra minutes off the floor to rest. Those minutes add up over a long playoff game, and a fresher Towns in the fourth quarter is a massive problem for any defense.

Why the Cavaliers Cannot Seem to Find an Answer

GettyOG Anunoby #8, Mitchell Robinson #23, Miles McBride #2, and Jordan Clarkson #00 of the New York Knicks

It has happened at least twice in this series. In Game 1, KAT had been dominant on the floor when Robinson checked in. The Cavs fouled Robinson almost immediately, put the Knicks in the bonus, and then watched New York go on a historic 44-11 run to win 115-104 in overtime after being down 22 points.

Game 3 in Cleveland was more of the same. The Knicks shot 24-of-27 from the foul line and won 121-108, with Brunson scoring 30, OG Anunoby adding 21 and Mikal Bridges chipping in 22. New York led wire to wire and is now one win away from the NBA Finals.

Robinson’s free throw shooting is what it is, and teams will keep targeting it. But leaving him out there without fouling is not easy either. His presence in the paint alone changes how opposing offenses operate. Bigs think twice before going up strong at the rim. Guards avoid the lane. That kind of deterrence does not show up in a box score, but it shifts the game all the same.

Game 4 is on Monday. Cleveland has never come back from 3-0 in NBA playoff history. If they cannot figure out the Robinson problem before tip-off, this series might already be over.