May 10, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Former NBA guard Walt Frazier at game five of the 2023 NBA playoffs between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Knicks Legend Reacts to Fallen Playoff Landmark

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated May 17, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The New York Knicks' Friday night crushing and flushing created metropolitan history and euphoria at Madison Square Garden.

A 119-81 shellacking of the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals allowed the Knicks to punch their first Eastern Conference Final ticket in a quarter-century and officially put the defending champions out of their misery. Such accomplishments came in front of an insatiable 19,000-plus gathered at MSG, a population that included countless Knicks legends, including beloved franchise face Walt "Clyde" Frazier.

The two-time champion and longtime color commentator on MSG Network saw one of his long-standing landmarks fall during Game 6: until Friday, Frazier was the last Knickerbocker to post a triple-double in a playoff game, doing so during the 1972 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Speaking with MSG colleague Monica McNutt in the victorious aftermath, Frazier professed his faux "hate" for Hart before lauding his importance to the team's ongoing success.

"He's the heart of the team" - Walt Frazier on Josh Hart earning the first Knicks postseason triple double since Clyde did it in '72.@nyknicks | @McNuttMonica | @WaltFrazier pic.twitter.com/7EJu6RkpUP
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) May 17, 2025

"He's the heart of the team," Frazier gushed. "I saw the black eye [in Game 5], he was undaunted by that, the good rebounding. He grows on you. You watch him, he does whatever it takes to win a game. He doesn't worry about the points and that."

As Frazier referenced, Hart previously went viral for a bloody encounter with Celtics defender Luke Kornet during the Knicks' Wednesday loss in the prior game. While Hart's face was slightly swollen for the rest of Game 5, he showed little, if any, side effects on Friday, scoring 10 points while posting 11 assists and rebounds each.

Such a tally places Hart in an exclusive club in Knicks history: after Friday, only he, Fraizer, and the late Dick McGuire have earned a triple-double amidst a Manhattan postseason run. Hart previously booted Frazier from a long-standing perch in the Knicks record books when he earned his ninth triple-double of the regular season in March.

Beyond Hart's history, Frazier was particularly impressed by the Knicks' defense, which held hapless Boston to 36 percent from the field and forced 15 turnovers. Beyond Jaylen Brown, who fouled out with over two minutes to go in the third quarter, no Celtic scored more than 11 points, and the Knicks again rendered Beantown's outside shooting harmless (Boston was 4-of-20, 1-of-12 beyond Brown, in the first half as the Knicks built their lasting lead).

"Sitting courtside, I saw how physical the game is," Frazier told McNutt. "The defense was intense. They kept the Celtics 35 feet away all night. They start missing those jumpers, Knicks were getting back in transition."

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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