How Josh Hart’s resilience jump-started the Knicks and pushed them two games from the NBA Finals

NEW YORK — Josh Hart called his shot. And then, he made it.

And then, he made another. And another. And another. And another.

After struggling with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ defensive cross-matching in Game 1 — a game plan predicated on putting a center on him, sagging off him, and all but daring him to knock down shots in favor of gumming the interior works of the Knicks offense — Hart found himself a spectator down the stretch, watching from the sideline as coach Mike Brown went with Landry Shamet in a five-shooter lineup to try to get the New York Knicks out of the 22-point hole they’d dug. The move worked: Shamet’s insertion kickstarted a historic comeback for the Knicks.

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But while Hart preached approaching the game without ego and with extreme humility when asked about it during New York’s practice session between Games 1 and 2, he’s also an extremely proud professional — the type of guy not especially good at, or interested in, taking disrespect lying down.

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“They’re probably going to do the same exact thing,” Hart said of the Cavs’ game plan heading into Game 2. “And I’m going to shoot the same exact shots. I’m going to shoot them with confidence. I’m going to play my game.”

Hart did just that on Thursday, continuing to pound the rock until eventually it broke — to the tune of a career playoff-high 26 points, a 5-for-11 mark from 3-point range, and seven assists — and until the Cavaliers broke with it, as the Knicks raced away to a 109-93 win to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.

The Cavs, as predicted, did open Game 2 in that same cross-match with Jarrett Allen playing several yards off Hart on the perimeter. And Hart, as promised, did attack it aggressively, taking his first triple of the evening less than 90 seconds into the contest, off a drive-and-kick to the corner by OG Anunoby. And another two minutes after that, from the opposite corner, after another kickout by Anunoby. And a third two minutes after that, after running a dribble handoff with…

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Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2026-05-22 06:02:00

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