Getty Josh Hart of the New York Knicks reacts after he is giving a double technical foul and ejected from the game in the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers.
The New York Knicks are gearing up for their second playoff run in three years but, for the likes of veteran guard Josh Hart, their upcoming quarterfinals matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers will be his first time participating in a game beyond the regular season.
As things currently stand, it appears he’s extremely excited to get his first taste of postseason basketball.
In a recent media session, Hart was asked how he felt heading into the upcoming quarterfinals matchup against the Cavs. In response, he issued a statement on the current state of the Knicks and how the team’s overall makeup has him “super excited” for what’s to come.
“[I’m] extremely excited. I wish Saturday was coming a little sooner but [I’m] just super excited with the guys that we have in the locker room with the coaching staff, the front office, and that we have a great group of men here and we’re excited, we’re focused, and we’ll continue to get ready,” Hart said.
“I wish Saturday was coming a little sooner. We have a great group of men here.”
Josh Hart is looking forward to the playoffs getting underway:
Since arriving in New York via midseason trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, the Knicks have gone 17-8 with Josh Hart in the lineup which, in turn, bodes well for their presumed successes heading into the playoffs. has posted impressive per-game averages of 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 58.6% from the floor and 51.9% from deep.
B/R Expects Josh Hart to ‘Shine’ For Knicks
Despite the fact that this upcoming postseason run will serve as Josh Hart’s first, the folks at Bleacher Report seem to believe he has to shine for the Knicks.
In a recently published piece by Zach Buckley, Hart was tabbed among five players heading into their first playoff action who could end up flourishing on the league’s biggest stage.
“It feels like Josh Hart should’ve made a playoff appearance by now. He was a champion at Villanova, and he has since built his six-year NBA career around the proverbial winning plays that coaches always rave about,” Buckley wrote.
“For reasons beyond Hart’s control, he had never previously played on a winning NBA team before his deadline deal to New York. To the surprise of no one, he has thrived in this situation…He also easily paced the Knicks in net differential, as New York was a mind-numbing 17.1 points better per 100 possessions with him than without.So while this stage and spotlight will be technically new to him, don’t be shocked if he looks right at home in the postseason.
Josh Hart with a season-high 27 PTS 🔥
He’s got 4 triples as the @nyknicks lead late in Q4!
Watch on the NBA App now ⤵️
t.co/0rrSPxOHD0
Through 25 games played with the Knicks, Josh Hart is posting impressive averages of 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 58.6% from the floor and 51.9% from deep.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Name-Dropped by Cavs Coach
While Josh Hart may be new to the bright lights of the NBA postseason, first-year Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is anything but as he’s qualified in three of his five seasons in the association and even made it as far as the Western Conference Finals just a season ago as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
The 26-year-old has been an absolute menace serving as the starting one in New York throughout the 2022-23 campaign, and, in a recent media session, Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff discussed how his club will be zeroing in on Brunson, describing the point guard’s last outing against them as something that has Cleveland on “high alert” heading into their upcoming series.
“The game that Jalen Brunson had put us on high alert,” Bickerstaff said. “I think that’s a good thing for us. To have that appropriate fear of your opponent…We’ll use it, we’ll watch the film, we’ll figure it out, and we’ll be better.”
“The game that Jalen Brunson had (48 points) put us on high alert. I think that’s a good thing for us. To have that appropriate fear of your opponent. We’ll use it, we’ll watch the film, we’ll figure it out, & we’ll be better”
— Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff on preparing for Knicks
The game Bickerstaff is referring to is their March 31 matchup against Cleveland where Jalen Brunson dropped a career-high 48 points to go along with 9 assists, and 4 rebounds. The Knicks wound up winning by a final score of 130-116.