No surprise to Knicks or Cavs that Josh Hart available for Game 2
Knicks' Josh Hart defends during the first half of Game 1 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Saturday, April 15, 2023, in Cleveland. Credit: AP/Nick Cammett
CLEVELAND — With just over two minutes left Saturday in the Knicks playoff opener against the Cavs, Josh Hart jumped against Cleveland center Jarrett Allen and contested a rebound, the ball tipping into the basket to give Cleveland the lead and sent Hart tumbling to the floor. He suffered a sprained left ankle and tried twice to get back up with the help of teammates before finally making his way to the bench for a timeout.
But when the Knicks emerged from the timeout Hart was back on the floor and delivering the biggest shot of the night, a three-point field goal to put the Knicks back in front for good in their Game 1 victory. And Tuesday night, when Hart was listed as doubtful for Game 2, it seemed almost like a misprint. Since starting up his Knicks tenure on Feb. 11 after a trade deadline deal brought him aboard he played in every one of their 25 regular-season games, as well as the series opener, never playing less than 24 minutes in a game.
So it was no surprise when the status was updated to questionable Tuesday morning after the team’s morning workout and when the game began he was available to play.
“Woke up feeling a little bit better and then got to go shoot and see how it feels,” he said before warming up. Asked if the doubtful status ever was one he believed or if he was going to drag himself out onto the court anyway, he added, “Thinking it. That’s a conversation I’ve had with them but going to give it a shot and see how it goes."
And the Cavs never seemed to believe that they would face the Knicks without Hart.
“He was the X-factor for them,” Donovan Mitchell told reporters at the Cavs morning shootaround. “We're prepared for him to play and if he doesn't, he doesn't. At the end of the day he's a guy that, ever since that trade happened, he's been nothing but gold for them.”
In the series opener Hart provided 17 points, 10 rebounds — five on the offensive glass — and served as a defender on just about every player on the floor. He did most of his work against Mitchell and Darius Garland, but also defended Allen and Evan Mobley.
“He’s a tough player, so any time you have quality players, it adds to your depth,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Really I view him as a starter who comes off the bench., You can trust him, you can count on him. Very dependable, makes everyone around him better, and he plays to win.”
“He brings a lot to our team,” Julius Randle said. “He’s an intangible guy. He does a lot of little things for our team that go unnoticed. You can always count on him down the stretch to make a big play, whether it’s a rebound, a charge, hitting a big shot. Whatever it is he can make a big play for us.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
