New York is known to overpower all that came before — i.e. Reggie Jackson in Oakland, Mark Messier in Edmonton, etc. — making it easy to forget that Josh Hart spent parts of seven seasons with three teams (Lakers, Pelicans, Trail Blazers) before the career-altering trade in 2023 that brought him to the Knicks.
Until arriving in New York, Hart had never reached the playoffs.
But since reuniting with Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have made the second round in four straight seasons, marking the first time the franchise has done so since Patrick Ewing’s final seasons with the team (1997-2000).
So what does that mean to a former national champion?
“Not a damn thing,” Hart said before Game 1 of the conference semifinal series against the 76ers. “That’s not the goal. The goal isn’t to advance to one series or two series. That’s not a goal that we have as individuals or as a team. To be honest, that’s pretty irrelevant. We gotta make sure we do what we’re supposed to do and focus on advancing in this series.”
In 2024, Hart was one of the biggest reasons the Knicks prevailed over Philadelphia in the first round.
While Brunson stole the show with 35.5 points per game — and Donte DiVincenzo secured the lasting image with his game-winning 3 in the improbable Game 2 comeback — Hart was a workhorse who played every possession as if it were his last, ranking second on the team in scoring (16.8) and assists (4.5), while leading the team in rebounds (12.3), shooting 43.2 percent on 3-pointers and recording 1.0 blocks in over 46 minutes per game.
To close that series, the Knicks fan favorite grabbed seven fourth-quarter rebounds and hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute of Game 6 after the 76ers doubled Brunson and dared his wide-open sidekick to beat them.
“Growing up playing basketball, these are the moments that you dream of, these are the moments that you prepare for,” Hart said after that series. “These are moments that you want. In those moments or those games, for me, I love it just because the energy is there [and] the competitiveness.”
The past two weeks have made it hard to remember the last time Hart got so hot.
In the first round against the Hawks, Hart — who averaged 10.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals in the series — shot 41.1 percent from the field and was 5-for-23 on 3-pointers.
In three games against the 76ers during the regular season, Hart shot 32 percent from the field.
But the do-everything guard, who hit a career-best 41.3 percent of 3-pointers during the season, could see plenty of open looks in the second round, benefiting from Philadelphia’s focus on Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby.
“If it’s similar to what it was in the past, I’ll probably have as many catch-and-shoot opportunities as I want,” Hart said. “I’ve got to go out there, shoot the ball with confidence. I’m a good shooter, I know I’m a good shooter. I trust my work.”