Hart was the symbol of the Knicks’ victory in game 1: 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and a huge impact on both ends of the court. The poster game of a unique player
What does Josh Hart do when he sees even a remote chance of grabbing a rebound? You will find several funny answers to this question online. To really understand it, however, just look at the scoreboard for Game 1 of the Finals, won by the Knicks at the Spurs. Not the item that immediately catches the eye, that of the points, but the others: 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. The most “Josh Hart” of Josh Hart matches. The best of the race in all three categories. If you then want to continue reading the scoreboard, you will also find 3 points scored, with 1/5 on the shot: an almost irrelevant figure. No one since Larry Bird in Game 3 of the 1986 Finals between Boston and Houston had put together numbers like that in a finals game. And the most curious fact is another: in the last twenty years the only player to have closed a game with at least 15 rebounds, 4 steals and no more than 3 points scored was Hart himself, in 2021 with New Orleans. As his teammate and great friend Jalen Brunson says: “He’s like that, he always has been. I can’t explain it. He simply has an innate ability to do things like that, especially in decisive moments. It’s a credit that must be given to who he is as a player.” If anyone still has any doubts about what it takes, other than points, to win a basketball game, Josh Hart is there to remind them.