CLEVELAND — Josh Hart had already made a rapid ascent up the ladder of most-popular Knicks. He checks so many boxes, after all, that would guarantee such affinity.
He is tough (witness how he shook off a rolled ankle Saturday and still helped deliver the Knicks to a 101-97 victory). He is unselfish (almost to a fault). His motor runs in the red for almost every second he’s on the floor (and, often, when he’s on the bench just cheering his teammates on). He went to Villanova (as did one of every three residents of New York City; that’s an unofficial count).
Tom Thibodeau, not surprisingly, is Hart’s chief campaign manager on that front.
“He’s a playmaker,” the Knicks’ coach said Saturday, and when Thibs talks about Hart it sounds awfully close to a proud teacher on graduation day. “When I say playmaker, I’m not talking about the traditional sense of the pass. Playmaker is what the game needs. So, if you need a big shot, he’s going to provide that. You need a big rebound, he’ll provide that. Need a stop defensively? Provide that. Need a loose ball — that’s what he is. He’s a playmaker.”
Hart was all over the game Saturday and all over the boxscore — 33 minutes, 17 points (on 8-for-11 shooting), 10 rebounds, two assists. He made the 3-pointer that not only halted a late Cavaliers push that turned an eight-point Knicks lead into a one-point Cavs lead, it seemed to break both Cleveland’s back and its spirit.
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And he did that moments after twisting the ankle in a desperate attempt to keep Jarrett Allen from an offensive rebound that had given the Cavs that 93-92 lead.
“Oh man, that was fun,” Hart said of his first-ever playoff game when it was over. “It was a great atmosphere. Got to give their fans credit, they showed out, they were loud, always supportive of their team. And obviously coming out with a win, that’s always gritty.”
Hart fits so snugly in the Knicks’ culture it’s almost hard to remember that Saturday was only his 26th game as a Knick; it is decidedly unsurprising to note the Knicks are now 18-8 with him on the club. All in exchange for one out-of-the-rotation player in Cam Reddish and a draft pick that became a first-rounder when the Knicks made the playoffs.
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Leon Rose likes to treat all of his draft picks like the Hope Diamond but this one was worth sending west to Portland, especially if the Knicks do as they should and re-sign Hart whenever this postseason ride of theirs concludes.
Hart, who made $12.96 million this year, is owed the same for next year but has the choice of opting out of the final year on June 25, which he will almost certainly do. Something a bit north of the four-year, $60 million deal the Knicks signed Mitchell Robinson to last summer will probably get that done. And it helps that Hart has already expressed a strong interest in staying here.
“That’s something I definitely want to do,” Hart said back on Feb. 23. “I want a home. I want to find a home. This is a place where I would love that home to be. On the court, there are so many things that align with my principles as a player and off the court just being around with friends and close to family. This would be an amazing spot. Hopefully they feel the same
“It’s a perfect situation for me on and off the court.”
And that was only three games after Hart arrived, which was before Knicks fans got an eyeful of his game and before the Knicks — or Hart for that matter — could know just how good a marriage this would turn out to be.
But one thing ought to be clear now: the Knicks are at the stage of their building process where they are identifying pieces to what they hope will be a contending club in a few years. There’s little debate here: Hart is one of those pieces. He should be for years to come.
“We kept the demeanor of, ‘Let’s go about our business. Let’s handle our business, let’s control what we can control,’ ” Hart said after the Knicks stole Game 1. “That’s our attitude. And we were able to pull it out.”
Hart made certain they did that. It was his first shining playoff moment in his first playoff game. There should be quite a bit more of those. Wearing that uniform.
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