Late in Game 2 at the 2:42 mark in the fourth quarter, Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla decided to intentionally foul Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks.
They fouled Robinson twice, forcing the 52% career free-throw shooter out of the game, but also putting the Knicks in the bonus.
This was a huge risk by Mazzulla as he was facing a team featuring several players who can space the floor and hit free throws. He was also facing All-Star Jalen Brunson, one of the best in the world at drawing fouls, who shot 82% from the line in the regular season.
While the move did open up shots in the paint for the Celtics, the decision did not slow the Knicks from carrying their momentum to the end of the game.
Boston held a four-point lead at the time but still went on to lose 91-90 in another embarrassing loss for the defending champions.
Mazzulla defended his decision after the game. “He was a plus 19, all their starters were in the negative,” he said.
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Moments after Robinson left the game, All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns scored an and-one layup over Al Horford, cutting the Celtics’ lead to just one point late in the game.
“That had nothing to do with it,” Mazzulla responded. “There was a pin and screen for Brunson; we just had a miscommunication, we sent two at the ball, and then Josh Hart got a layup, and then that led to a Towns offensive rebound.”
The decision was made to unclog the lane for the All-Star forward duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to get more looks in the paint, but the Knicks responded with strong team defense to make every shot difficult for them. This includes the game-winning tip on Tatum by Mikal Bridges.
While the decision may be controversial in hindsight, Mazzulla believes it was the right move at the time.
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