I would call pasting-the-URL-into-Google-Search less of a intentional workaround and more of a trick to take advantage of the websites' compliance with Google rules.
Not every HN reader would know to do that, or look in the comments for that "workaround."
That's right, so it's ok for people to ask and share how to read an article in the comments. There shouldn't need to be more than one or two comments about this, and it helps everyone focus on the content.
What's off-topic is the generic tangent of paywall complaining.