Allie LaForce might’ve been standing courtside, but she was basically holding a stethoscope to the heart of the Pacers’ coaching staff. And folks, what she heard was straight-up panic about one man: Mitchell Robinson. The dude has spent less than a sitcom episode’s worth of time on the floor (12:44), but has made a playoff-sized mess on the offensive glass. As LaForce relayed on TNT, a Pacers coach didn’t mince words—“our number one concern is Mitchell Robinson.”

Yeah, he’s become that guy. The guy you ignore on your fantasy roster all year, but suddenly ruins your playoff run like he’s the boss level in an NBA video game.

The Knicks made a very Knicks move by pulling off a vintage ’90s throwback. No, not the jerseys, but by reactivating their personal Dennis Rodman: Mitchell Robinson. And boom—game shifted harder than a rookie guarding Steph Curry on a switch.

Let’s talk boards. Robinson had four offensive rebounds in the third quarter alone. Not career-shattering, sure, but each one was a dagger dipped in salt. Every extra possession felt like a gut punch to the Pacers, who were already trying to keep Karl-Anthony Towns from turning into Stretch Armstrong at the three-point line (another major concern the Pacers staff voiced to Allie LaForce).

By the time the quarter ended, the Pacers had blown more leads than the Warriors trying to protect a fourth-quarter advantage in 2016.

Allie LaForce Spills the Locker Room Tea

Back to Allie—aka the real MVP of sideline reporting—who gave us the juiciest bit of intel: “I spoke to a member of their coaching staff who told me their number one concern at the half was Mitchell Robinson and his effect on the offensive glass. He said we also have to keep KAT off the three-point line and for them, they missed four buckets at the rim… This whole series is a possession battle.“

They missed four bunnies at the rim? Four. That’s more missed opportunities than Dwight Howard at the free throw line. Combine that with a suddenly alive Robinson and the always-composed Brunson (27 points through three), and it’s no wonder the Pacers are stressing harder than Paul George in an elimination game.

Let’s talk numbers real quick—because the stats tell a story that even a Quentin Tarantino plot couldn’t twist. Pacers FG%: 50.0% – solid, right? But their 3P%? 30.4%. That’s lower than the amount of “Celtics in 4” tweets that age well. Haliburton: 23 points, 7 assists. Respect. Turner: 14 points, some solid defense, but couldn’t keep Robinson off the glass with a broomstick.

T.J. McConnell: 9 points, but finished the quarter getting dunked on by life. Mathurin and Toppin: A combined 9 points and a plus-minus that might need therapy. Also, shoutout to Miles McBride, who channeled his inner Allan Houston with a timely three and lockdown effort.

This Eastern Conference Finals opener is shaping up to be a battle of execution and extra possessions. The Knicks turned Robinson into the cheat code, and that one adjustment might’ve just flipped Game 1. The Pacers came in hot—started the game 9-of-9 from the field, had all five starters score in under six minutes, and yet still trail by three going into the fourth. That’s gotta sting more than a playoff Paul Pierce wheelchair joke.

As Allie LaForce perfectly captured, this series isn’t about talent—both teams are loaded. It’s about possessions. Stops. Execution. And right now, Mitchell Robinson is hoarding those extra possessions like Patrick Beverley hoards technical fouls.

If this keeps up, the Pacers coaching staff might have to take out an ad in the paper: “Looking for anyone who can box out Mitchell Robinson. Pay negotiable.” Let’s just hope Allie LaForce keeps delivering the behind-the-scenes scoop—because she’s clearly got the cheat codes to this entire series.