Knicks’ Mike Brown was ready when Hawks’ ‘Hack-a-Mitch’ strategy emerged

It was only a matter of time.

Hack-a-Mitch has become a playoff staple with Knicks opponents given Mitchell Robinson’s well-documented struggles at the free throw line. And it predictably emerged again in the Knicks’ 113-102 Game 1 win over the Hawks on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

Robinson had been impactful on the glass and as a rim protector in the first half. Then, trailing by seven with 5:44 left in the third quarter, the Hawks began fouling Robinson intentionally.

He was 1-for-4 on free throws before the Knicks took Robinson out of the game.

“We’ll see how the game goes, and we’ll leave him in until we think we need to make a sub,” coach Mike Brown said. “And whenever we feel like we need to make a sub, we will. But we’re gonna give him a chance.”

Though it took Robinson out of the game, it also meant the Knicks got into the bonus with 3:19 left in the third quarter, giving them plenty of opportunity to get easy points at the line.

And then Brown countered by having Robinson start the fourth quarter, preventing the Hawks from fouling him unless they wanted to play the whole quarter with the Knicks in the bonus.

“If they wanna start fouling, then that would get us closer to the bonus,” Brown said. “So it’s a time for us to go back to him.”

Karl-Anthony Towns’ father, Karl Sr., was in attendance for the first time since undergoing a medical procedure late in March.

“To have someone who I would say is the most important person in my life, it’s really awesome to be able to have him back and Madison Square Garden supporting me,” Towns said. “Any son out there that plays basketball or plays any sport, to see your father there, at your competition, you always have a sense of pride.“You wanna make him proud. It’s awesome that I get to see him on the baseline and be able to have some special moments with him.”

“To have someone who I would say is the most important person in my life, it’s really awesome to be able to have him back and Madison Square Garden supporting me,” Towns said. “Any son out there that plays basketball or plays any sport, to see your father there, at your competition, you always have a sense of pride.

“You wanna make him proud. It’s awesome that I get to see him on the baseline and be able to have some special moments with him.”