The New York Knicks had to fight for it, but they managed to secure a comfortable 2-0 series lead against the Indiana Pacers. They outlasted their opponents in what turned out to be an intense 121-130 shootout that had the entire Madison Square Garden up on their feet by the end of the game.
One of the players who particularly stood out throughout the game was Josh Hart. The guard is quickly establishing himself as the second star that is becoming increasingly vital to the Knicks’ incredible postseason run.
While Hart put up solid overall numbers, what makes this feat even more incredible is the fact that Hart played every minute of the game. Tom Thibodeau found him vital to the Knicks’ game plan that he didn’t even allow him a minute of rest throughout the game.
Running such a marathon of a game would burn through a player’s energy reserves, but Hart had a great take on what he just went through.
Josh Hart didn’t want to rest during the New York Knicks’ close Game 2 victory
The media naturally wanted to hear his take on his insane playtime after the Knicks’ Game 2 win. People may have wanted him to share a negative reaction to the load placed on him.
However, the 29-year-old gave a message that made one thing clear: he wanted to play every minute of this game.
“Thibs always asks me if I need one, and I always tell him no,” Hart told SNY on May 8. “As a competitor you want to play. You want to play every second. That’s something I want to do.”
His Game 2 numbers showed just how vital the shooting guard was to the team. He finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block. The fact that he achieved all this while not taking a single minute of rest shows how much Hart wanted to win the game for the Knicks.
NBA fans and analysts have long had issues with Tom Thibodeau’s way of running down his players. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Hart. In fact, he may even be a great fit to how Thibs run things with the New York Knicks.
Fans will be hoping that Hart will continue to put up such performances so the Knicks can reach their first Eastern Conference Finals in a good while.
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