With the Boston Celtics fighting off elimination in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, coach Joe Mazzulla wasted no time calling for an intentional foul on Mitchell Robinson. As soon as the New York Knicks started their first offensive possession with Robinson on the floor, Torrey Craig headed straight for the center to grab him and send him to the free-throw line.The Hack-a-Mitch strategy, which Mazzulla employed aggressively, was a way to prey upon Robinson’s greatest weakness: foul shooting. It was also, in some ways, the ultimate sign of respect. Earlier in the series, Mazzulla had pointed out just how effective Robinson was for the Knicks. The Celtics weren’t just hoping that Robinson would miss free throws; they were hoping to force him out of the game entirely.“If you can (force him out), yeah,” Mazzulla had said.How the Celtics landed Mitchell RobinsonJay King and Jeshua KiddFrom the way Mazzulla approached that series, it was clear how impactful he considered Robinson. Mazzulla touted Robinson’s screening, lineup versatility, rim protection, offensive rebounding and ability to help on both ends of the floor.“He’s a huge factor to what they do,” Mazzulla said, “and I’m going to find ways to negate that.”Moving forward, Mazzulla won’t have that headache. Instead, he will be looking to find ways to maximize Robinson after the Celtics agreed to sign the big man to a three-year, $47.4 million contract, according to a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been completed confirmed Wednesday to The Athletic.After a first-round loss to the Philadelphia 76ers exposed the limitations of Boston’s frontcourt, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens made no secret of his intentions to address that weakness this offseason. He did so by acquiring one of the best free agent centers available. In what became a thin center market after several other potential targets, including old friend Robert Williams, stayed with their former teams, Boston was able to poach Robinson from their division rivals.