Josh Hart playing for the New York Knicks in 2024. Photo by Megan Briggs via Getty Images
Entering the playoffs with his hair braided into the logo of the New York Yankees, Josh Hart stepped onto the court and made his presence known on Saturday night. Game 1 of the NBA playoffs between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers went to the Knicks, and most of that was due to the performance of Hart.
Hart finished the game with a double-double, notching 22 points (the same as Jalen Brunson, who had a slow start) and 13 rebounds. More importantly, Hart turned it on in the fourth quarter when the Knicks needed it most, nailing a couple of three pointers which gave New York the edge.
Consistency Questions
Questions about Hart’s consistency floated around coming into this game. He has had an up-and-down season plagued by shooting issues, particularly with the three-pointer. But Hart said he prepared for this game differently leading up to tipoff, by consistently working on his shots.
“The last two games in the regular season, the game plan was just to sag off for me,” said Hart. “So that’s something that this week I just, I got up a lot of reps, just shot up, just shot up, just shot. And the bigger thing for me, after I missed, you know, three or four, I didn’t lose that confidence.”
Indeed, Hart’s shooting was much better in Saturday night’s 111-104 win over the 76ers, going 5 for 12 from the field, 4 for 8 from three, and 8 for 10 in free throws. The Knicks will certainly need Hart to step up as he did on Saturday if they want to make a deep run.
Hart’s Role With Randle Out
With Julius Randle out for the playoffs, Hart will need to start games in his place rather than off the bench. Randle’s absence creates an offensive hole in the Knicks’ game which they have practiced closing in recent weeks, and Hart’s shooting will need to be what it was on Saturday in order to fill that void.
But Hart starting rather than coming off the bench will most likely not be a major issue for the Knicks. New York possesses one of the deepest benches in the game, and it came alive during Game 1. Mitchell Robinson, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Miles McBride combined for 42 points and 22 rebounds off the bench, leading to “Deuuuuuce!” chants from the Garden faithful.
“[The bench] were the reason why we won the game,” Hart continued. “When your top dog is not shooting well, you need other guys to pick it up for him and that’s what they did…We just tell each other to keep it going, to play our game, to be aggressive. We got to give them [Philly] credit, but we got to win and it was ugly for us, so we got to keep it going.”
Starting Slow, Finishing Strong
The game was not all rainbows and unicorns for the Knicks, however. They started off pretty slow, which included Jalen Brunson, allowing the Sixers to gain a 17-point advantage at one point. That was blown, and the Knicks capitalized, but Hart offered insights as to how they look to improve for Game 2.
“Cut out mental mistakes. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Hart said. “And then when we get stops, run. And then, you know, just be confident against them. I think we were a little bit stagnant. We played slow and against a zone. We got to make quick decisions, get into the gaps and find shooters.”
The last three times the Knicks opened a playoff series at home, they lost Game 1. That did not happen this time, and after taking Game 2 in dramatic fashion, the Knicks will look to make the series 3-0 on Thursday in Philadelphia.
