New York Knicks forward Josh Hart knows something about improbable comebacks. He spent the spring helping turn them into the Knicks’ championship identity.
When Frances Tiafoe rallied from two sets down and survived a fifth-set thriller against Alex Michelsen in the US Open quarterfinals Tuesday, Hart immediately recognized the connection.
“NY is the land of comebacks! Shoutout Big Foe!!” Hart wrote on X.
The Knicks wing’s message captured a remarkable night at Arthur Ashe Stadium and the defining quality of New York’s championship season.
Tiafoe defeated Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) after 4 hours, 38 minutes, advancing to the US Open semifinals for the third time in his career.
The score alone did not convey the size of the escape. Michelsen served for the match at 5-4 in the third set and later took a 3-0 lead in the fifth. Each time Tiafoe appeared finished, he found another opening.
Hart had seen and played out that movie before.
Frances Tiafoe Channels the Comeback Knicks
The Knicks did not take a comfortable route to their first NBA championship in 53 years.
New York fell behind the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the opening round before winning three straight games to advance. That response became the start of a dominant run through the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, transforming an early postseason crisis into a trip to the NBA Finals.
Their habit of playing from behind followed them against the San Antonio Spurs.
New York trailed by double digits in all five Finals games but won four of them. In Game 4, the Knicks erased a 29-point deficit and escaped with a 107-106 victory on OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining.
They completed their championship run by overcoming a 16-point deficit in Game 5. Jalen Brunson scored 45 points in the 94-90 victory that ended the franchise’s 53-year title drought.
Hart was one of the engines behind that identity. His rebounding, transition attacks and willingness to chase seemingly lost possessions allowed the Knicks to remain dangerous after games tilted against them.
Another New York Comeback
Tiafoe produced the tennis version Tuesday.
He did not erase the deficit with one spectacular sequence. He stayed alive long enough for the pressure to migrate across the net. Michelsen moved within one service game of victory, but Tiafoe kept forcing him to finish.
The match’s emotional weight surfaced afterward. Michelsen, denied his first Grand Slam semifinal after coming so close, broke down in Tiafoe’s arms during their embrace at the net.
Tiafoe has established relationships with Hart and Brunson and has repeatedly embraced Knicks culture during his US Open appearances. This time, however, Hart saw more than a friend advancing.
He saw New York’s latest refusal to stay down.
After the Knicks made comeback basketball their path to a championship, Tiafoe delivered another reminder of Hart’s message: New York has become the land of comebacks.
Knicks Star Reacts to Frances Tiafoe’s Stunning US Open Comeback