Josh Hart’s night proved especially historic as the New York Knicks earned a long-sought postseason advancement.
Josh Hart was prancing and advancing in the New York Knicks’ long-sought promotion to the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night.
Hart made history amidst the Knicks’ 119-81 shellacking of the Boston Celtics, one that put the defending champions out of their misery early on: as he paired 10 points with 11 assists and rebounds, the Knicks noted that Hart became the first Knick to post a triple-double in a postseason event since the legendary Walt “Clyde” Frazier pulled off the feat against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1972 NBA Finals.
Hart’s box score places him in an elite club within the Knicks’ ledgers: only he, Frazier, and Dick McGuire have earned a postseason triple-double in a New York uniform, with Frazier doing on four occasions between 1969 and 1972.
Working through his third postseason in New York, Hart has made a habit of forming company with Frazier, the Hall-of-Famer and longtime MSG Network game analyst that many consider to be the greatest Knicks of all-time: earlier this season, Hart broke Frazier’s long-standing record for most triple-doubles in a single regular season, setting the new mark in a March win over Dallas.
Such history is business as usual for Hart’s Knick colleagues and fans, who have frequently lauded his all-out efforts and hustle plays en route to the franchise’s first Eastern Conference Finals showing in a quarter-century.
Well-known for being one of the most talented players to never taste the NBA Playoffs prior to his metropolitan entry, Hart is taking advantage of every waking minute, averaging 13.9 points and 10 rebounds over the last two tournaments.
“That’s who he is … he impacts the game in a lot of different ways,” head coach Tom Thibodeau lauded in the aftermath, per video from the NBA. “Josh, what he is is a basketball player. It’s transition, it’s the pace, it’s playing out of the pocket, it’s making corner threes, it’s doing all those dribble-handoff hustle plays, offensive rebounds. Then, defensively, it’s just being there and coming up with big rebounds. I think, when you play with that kind of effort, it’s inspiring to the team.”
