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The New York Knicks survived injuries to well over half of their rotation players to make it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They finally bowed out against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, but not after guys like Josh Hart gave everything they had all playoffs long.
Hart became one of the city’s favorite New York Knicks players in decades due to his incredible effort during the thirteen playoff games the Knicks played this year. And, due to that, fans at Madison Square Garden gave Josh Hart a standing ovation when he exited the court for the final time this year.
Take a look.
New York loves the Josh Hart. And, can you blame them? On a Knicks team that didn’t have key players Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Bojan Bogdanović, and OG Anunoby for all or some of the postseason, Josh Hart turned into an ironman of sorts.
From game 4 of the first-round series against the Sixers (Knicks won the series 4-2) to the second game of the Pacers series, Hart never played less than 46 minutes in any of those games. His rebounding as a 6-foot-4-inch guard was tremendous. In thirteen playoff games, Josh Hart had seven games with thirteen rebounds or more. At that size, that’s all hustle, and that’s exactly what he provided the New York Knicks.
Ultimately, the New York Knicks simply ran out of healthy bodies on Sunday in Game 7. By the end of the game, the four aforementioned players plus Josh Hart (abdominal strain) and Jalen Brunson (broken hand) all had significant injuries. You’re not going to win a Game 7 with that many guys out. Credit to the Pacers, too, as they played great, shooting 76% in the first half. They cruised home to a 130-109 win.
I’m sure Knicks fans hope that the same version of Josh Hart, who had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists on Sunday, is back.