SAN ANTONIO — Josh Hart missed the last celebration.
Jalen Brunson makes a point of needling his friend at every opportunity, reminding the world that Hart was no longer on Villanova when Brunson and Mikal Bridges left San Antonio in 2018 with their second national championship in three years.
Hart was in Los Angeles with the post-Kobe/pre-LeBron Lakers, his first of three teams in five seasons, each ending before the postseason. The former 30th overall pick — taken 22 spots behind Knicks lottery pick Frank Ntilikina — had carved out a place in the league, but had yet to find a coach who understood the value he brought beyond the box score, or teammates who knew he would sacrifice a limb for a loose ball.
Hart was set to be among the countless players who leave the league without leaving a mark. Then came the trade on Feb. 8, 2023, the news that left Brunson in disbelief, reacting like he won the lottery — “Oh sh-t! Yes!” — raising his arms in triumph.
Brunson knew the Knicks — then without a playoff series win in a decade — were getting someone whose selflessness would’ve fit with the franchise in 1973, whose passion and toughness would’ve blended seamlessly in 1993.
Someone who found where he always belonged.
“I had a lot of instability in those 6½ years, I had six head coaches, three different teams, so I was just kind of looking for a home and stability, and I found that in New York,” Hart said before the Knicks’ Game 5 94-90 NBA Finals-clinching win. “I think the city really embraced me, my style of play, me as a person. When you do that, you feel like you’re able to go out there and play your best.
“This city is built on toughness, grit, blue-collar people, and I feel like I’m the same person. They can look in the mirror and they can see myself, just because that’s how I look at myself and I just happen to hoop.”
It is home — now and forever.
As Brunson (45 points) received little support in the biggest game of their lives, Hart played the part of the trusted sidekick, also becoming an all-time New York legend after recording 13 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, as the Knicks clinched their first championship in 53 years Knicks on Saturday night at Frost Bank Center.
Hart started the series with a historic stat line, becoming the first player in an NBA Finals game to lead both teams outright in rebounds (15), assists (6) and steals (4). In Game 4, the fan favorite nearly became Charles Smith.
If not for OG Anunoby’ last-second tip-in, the Knicks’ 29-point comeback might have been for naught, a night that might have been remembered for Hart’s blown layup in the final minutes, the lasting image of a collapse that cost the team its long-awaited title.
But it would be forgiven. It will be forgotten.
Home at last.
