Knicks' Josh Hart achieves a high not reached in 11 NBA postseasons
Knicks swingman Josh Hart has played in 374 of 389 possible minutes this postseason. He's played every minute in four out of the last eight games.
After clocking 48 minutes for a second consecutive game against the Pacers in Wednesday's Game 2 victory, the Villanova alum became the first player since Jimmy Butler in 2013 to play the entire game for the fourth time in the same playoffs.
Incidentally, Butler, too, put in those minutes for coach Tom Thibodeau during his sophomore year with the Bulls.
After the game, Hart was asked about the mental and physical preparation it takes to play 48 minutes in back-to-back games separated by just 48 hours.
"Rest, recovery and my Lord works in mysterious ways," Hart told reporters. "Today I feel like I didn't have it at all. The whole game I was just reciting Isaiah 40:29-31 — the weak, he renews strength. That was the biggest thing. It allows you to walk and not faint."
Hart confirmed that Thibodeau, who has the reputation of a coach who runs players into the ground, did not demand him to play 48 minutes. It was his own call.
"Thibs always asks me if I [want a break], and I always tell him 'no.' As a competitor, you want to play every second. So, that's something that I want to do," Hart told reporters.
In these playoffs, Hart has also furthered his reputation of being a terrific rebounder for a player of his size. With 12.8 boards a game, he's averaging more rebounds than 7-footers such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Jonas Valanciunas and Evan Mobley. Now, that's impressive!
The Knicks are just two wins away from clinching their first Eastern Conference Finals berth since the 1999-2000 season. Hart was a five-year-old when New York last made it that far in a postseason.
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