Josh Hart Dismisses Knicks’ Four Straight Second-Round Trips
josh hart said the Knicks’ four straight trips to the second round mean “not a damn thing” to him. He put the focus on advancing in the current series, not on stacking recent postseason appearances.
Hart and the Knicks
“That’s not the goal. The goal isn’t to advance to one series or two series. That’s not a goal that we have as individuals or as a team. To be honest, that’s pretty irrelevant. We gotta make sure we do what we’re supposed to do and focus on advancing in this series,” Hart said before Game 1 of the conference semifinal series against the 76ers. That line cut against the easy talking point around New York’s recent consistency.
The Knicks have reached the second round in four straight seasons since reuniting with Jalen Brunson. They had not done that in four straight seasons since Patrick Ewing’s final seasons with the team from 1997 to 2000.
Hart’s playoff numbers
Hart’s own postseason work is part of why the comment lands. In the 2024 first round against Philadelphia, he ranked second on the Knicks in scoring at 16.8 points per game and second in assists at 4.5 per game, while leading the club with 12.3 rebounds per game.
He also shot 43.2 percent on 3-pointers, averaged 1.0 blocks per game and logged over 46 minutes per game. In Game 6, he grabbed seven fourth-quarter rebounds and hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute.
Philadelphia’s next test
Against Atlanta in the first round, Hart averaged 10.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 41.1 percent from the field. He also went 5-for-23 on 3-pointers in that series, a reminder that his production has shifted depending on matchup and shot quality.
That line matters because it shows the Knicks are not leaning on a single version of Hart. Before the 76ers series, he said if the matchup looked similar to the past, he would probably get as many catch-and-shoot chances as he wanted, and he added, “I’ve got to go out there, shoot the ball with confidence. I’m a good shooter, I know I’m a good shooter. I trust my work.”
Hart arrived in New York in 2023 after parts of seven seasons with the Lakers, Pelicans and Trail Blazers, and he had never reached the playoffs before joining the Knicks. Now the measuring stick is narrower: the next round is not the point unless this series is won.
