NEW YORK — Josh Hart declared his intention. And then, he executed it.
Subsequently, he converted another. And another. And another. And yet another.
After encountering difficulties with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ defensive strategy in Game 1 — a scheme centered on assigning a big man to him, allowing him space, and virtually inviting him to take shots to clog the Knicks’ interior offense — Hart found himself sidelined during the final minutes, observing as coach Mike Brown opted for Landry Shamet in a five-shooter lineup to help the New York Knicks climb out of a 22-point deficit. The adjustment proved effective: Shamet’s entry sparked a remarkable comeback for the Knicks.
Despite Hart advocating for an egoless and extremely humble approach when questioned during New York’s practice session between Games 1 and 2, he is also a highly proud professional — an individual not prone to, nor interested in, quietly accepting perceived slights.
“They will likely employ the identical tactic,” Hart stated regarding the Cavs’ game plan for Game 2. “And I will attempt the identical shots. I will shoot them with conviction. I will stick to my style of play.”
Hart delivered precisely that on Thursday, persistently working until the barrier eventually broke — culminating in a playoff career-high 26 points, hitting 5-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc, and dishing out seven assists — and until the Cavaliers themselves yielded, as the Knicks surged to a 109-93 victory, securing a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
As anticipated, the Cavs did initiate Game 2 with the same cross-match, featuring Jarrett Allen positioned several yards away from Hart on the perimeter. And Hart, as pledged, aggressively challenged it, launching his first three-pointer of the night less than 90 seconds into the contest, following a drive-and-kick pass to the corner from OG Anunoby. Another followed two minutes later, from the opposing corner, after another Anunoby kick-out. A third arrived two minutes after that, after executing a dribble handoff with Jalen Brunson and drifting to his left, where Allen, once more, left him completely unguarded.
The issue: He misfired on all three, and with Allen persistently guarding the paint and blocking Brunson’s driving lanes, the Cavs again established an early advantage in Game 2, seizing a 17-11 lead. The sluggish start elicited a brief, yet audible, chant of “LANDRY SHAMET!” from the Madison Square Garden attendees; it also triggered a momentary period of intense self-criticism from a visibly frustrated Hart.
“I’m unsure if he could articulate aloud what he was saying to himself,” Karl-Anthony Towns quipped to reporters.
However, Hart persevered. He placed confidence in the effort he had dedicated with Knicks shooting coach Peter Patton throughout the season, the work that saw him achieve a career-best 41.3% from three-point range during the regular season, before commencing the 2026 playoffs with a disappointing 12-for-48 from long distance. He sank a short jumper from a baseline out-of-bounds play and accelerated the pace in transition to facilitate a driving layup by Towns, helping narrow the margin to 20-19 midway through the first quarter.
Hart set picks and executed dribble handoffs to create openings for his teammates. He applied relentless, aggressive, close-quarters defense on Donovan Mitchell throughout every possession. He utilized the space Allen afforded him as a launchpad, vigorously driving to the basket when he received the ball with an opportunity to penetrate. As promised, he maintained his style of play, consistently contributing to the effort that saw the Knicks holding a lead late in the second quarter.
Then, with 3:27 remaining in the first half, on another catch-and-shoot corner three-pointer generated by an assertive middle drive from old friend Mikal Bridges, the breakthrough finally occurred. He found success again three minutes later, sinking a shot from the left slot off a sharp pass from Brunson, who also set up Hart for a fast-break dunk shortly after halftime — seemingly part of a series of attempts by the Knicks captain to help his colleague overcome his slump, though Brunson downplayed the notion after the game.
“Honestly, I’m not actively seeking him out,” Brunson remarked with a smirk. “He just happens to be open. So I pass him the ball.”
Hart vindicated that trust in the third quarter, converting two additional three-pointers as part of an 18-0 surge that effectively sealed the game.
“You know, clearly, if they persist in leaving him open, he must continue to let it fly,” Brown stated post-game. “I believe he began 0-for-3 on his initial three-pointers, and he was 5-for-8 thereafter. So we encourage him to keep shooting. If his feet are set, if Jarrett Allen chooses to remain in the paint, shoot it, and we will adapt the remainder of the game accordingly.”
The Knicks’ capacity to adjust improvisationally, once more, left Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson in a predicament, with his practical methodology and defensible strategy dismantled by a Knicks team performing at an exceptionally high caliber.
“One must choose their detriment — that is the essence of the playoffs, isn’t it?” Atkinson said. “You have to identify players from whom you can offer assistance, so these are the decisions you make in the playoffs.”
In Game 1, Atkinson opted to permit Brunson to repeatedly target James Harden in the fourth quarter until Brunson eventually dissected the Cavs sufficiently that the coach began employing double-teams … which the Knicks promptly exploited for drives, three-pointers, and free throws. In Game 2, he intensified efforts to contain Brunson — the Cavs limited him to just two points on 1-for-6 shooting in the first half and only nine points on 4-for-12 shooting through three quarters — thereby compelling the All-NBA guard to distribute the ball elsewhere.
The outcome: a playoff career-best 14 assists for Brunson, all five Knicks starters reaching double-digit scoring, Hart ultimately overcoming the defensive strategy, and New York concluding with a 123.9 offensive rating — a figure that would have led the NBA in offensive efficiency during the regular season.
“He is, naturally, an NBA player; he will convert three-pointers,” said Allen, whose sagging coverage Hart eventually found a way to exploit. “We simply have to adhere to the statistical probabilities, abide by the coaches’ conviction and foresight. Occasionally, simply… the strategy does not unfold as planned.”
Little transpired as intended on Thursday for the Cavs, who shot a dreadful 38.8% from the field, converted 9-for-35 from three-point range, missed 10 free throws, and witnessed their defensive game plan falter once more. Having squandered an opportunity to steal Game 1, they return home in familiar, albeit uncomfortable, circumstances: trailing 2-0 against a favored adversary, precisely as they were last round against Detroit heading into Game 3.
“One navigates between despair and triumph in the playoffs,” Atkinson commented during the Cavs’ Wednesday walkthrough, between Games 1 and 2. “And this, unequivocally, is despair.”
They maintain confidence that the shots they are creating will begin to fall, and they believe their methodology will yield improved outcomes. They probably also do not anticipate witnessing Hart sink another series of three-pointers, alongside the array of other contributions he delivered on his career night.
“At times, you must acknowledge superior play,” said Mitchell, who led the Cavs with 26 points on 8-for-18 shooting. “I am not comparing the players, but you observe a comparable scenario in the other series. [Alex] Caruso, they are defending him in a somewhat similar fashion. I am not asserting he is him or vice versa, but one simply must adapt. And we will review the film and devise methods for adaptation. But sometimes, you must simply concede. I mean, he executed a one-handed spin move on me.”
“We obviously allocated defensive resources from other players [to slow down Brunson], and they converted their shots,” Atkinson remarked after Game 2. “You have to accept certain realities in this league.”
If you are Brown, some of the realities you must accept are the fluctuations in Hart’s shooting consistency. Because, much like Mitchell’s strategic comparison, Caruso — and frankly, if the NBA had an All-Impact Team, Caruso and Hart would be perennial first-team selections — while Hart’s imperfections can complicate your strategic blueprint when he is in a slump, his strengths can also elevate the entire squad when he is performing at his peak.
“I mean, [Hart] simply influences the game,” Towns stated. “He influences winning. You have heard me express that numerous times in post-game press conferences and such. He serves as the quintessential example for any basketball player aspiring to truly influence a team’s success, you know, and he achieves that at the highest echelon. […] When he steps onto the court, he hustles, he plays with such intensity, you know, you feel compelled to match his fervor. And because of him, when he displays that kind of energy, it uplifts our entire group, and it makes us feel that we must be at his level on the court.”
Hart’s presence on the court, on a night such as this, is virtually ubiquitous, energizing and strengthening the Knicks on both ends, through both subtle and overt actions. It is a form of contribution with which Brown possesses some familiarity.
“I’ll tell you what: My tenure with Andre Iguodala in Golden State proved significantly beneficial,” Brown remarked. “Because, you know, they are distinct players, but they share similarities, because Andre is also tenacious, and Andre is an exceptional player. I mean, he is a great player, and he executes so many subtle actions that if you are not attentive, you will not fully appreciate them. And the same holds true for Josh. He performs so many minor tasks that do not appear in the box score.”
Occasionally, Brown discovered, to fully benefit from Hart’s all-encompassing, dynamic play, one must be prepared to tolerate some unpredictable outcomes.
“Furthermore, because he is so impactful as a facilitator, I must grant him probably greater latitude than anyone else,” Brown declared. “I must allow him to simply be himself and avoid hindering him.”
Brown affording Hart that autonomy enabled Hart to remain engaged amidst the missed attempts — to embrace positivity, extend self-forgiveness, and believe the next shot would fall. Even if that bothersome, internal voice was chastising him with every clang.
“You know, I don’t typically celebrate when I score or make an effective pass and things of that nature, and I probably criticize myself a bit too harshly when I miss shots or commit turnovers, those kinds of situations,” Hart explained. “I believe I have begun to learn to play the game and show myself more leniency and not strive for flawlessness. And, you know, I am content with that.”
The Knicks do not require Josh Hart to be flawless. They require him to be Josh Hart — the individual who enthusiastically supports from the bench when that is what the team needs, who continues to shoot when that is what the team needs, and who delivers the best performance of his playoff career when that is what the team needs to come within two victories of the NBA Finals.
“It is challenging sometimes as a coach, because you are analyzing X’s and O’s, and you desire everything to be perfect, and you are scrutinizing the box score, and you are examining this,” Brown stated. “With Josh, with Andre, all that extraneous information should be disregarded. Because those individuals are champions.”
