Josh Hart Reveals Secret to Complete Games With Knicks

The New York Knicks’ minutes king found the perfect place to rest: a basketball game.

Josh Hart, well-known for his complete game efforts with the Knicks, has joined ABC/ESPN’s coverage for the ongoing NBA Finals, manning the on-site studio desk with Mallika Andrews, Bob Myers, and Michael Wilbon. Hart offered his expertise on in-game longevity now that Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been called upon to bear the North Texas load in the midst of early team struggles in the championship round.

“The thing for me is that I know I can play 48 (minutes) because I’m able to find my spots to rest,” Hart said after the Mavericks fell to the Boston Celtics 105-98 in Game 2 of the Finals (h/t New York Basketball). “We have (Jalen Brunson) and that’s our guy. So when JB has the ball and if I’m in the corner, sometimes after some of these tough possessions, I’m over there not even looking for the ball. I’m just resting. (The Mavericks) have to find ways to get (Doncic) not working so hard.”

“That’s something we tried to do for Jalen, especially during that (Indiana) Pacers series,” Hart recalled, hinting at Brunson’s injury woes during the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Semifinal series. “He’s banged up, you’ve got to get him off the ball and (put) not so much (of a) toll on his body”

Doncic’s Finals workload doesn’t quite compare to Hart’s, who played four complete games during the Knicks 13-part playoff run. But the Mavericks’ main attraction has had anything but a summer vacation, playing at least 40 minutes in all but two of the past 10 games.

Doncic is averaging a Finals-best 31 points on over 51 percent shooting in the first two games. Alas for Dallas, no other Maverick is averaging more than 16 behind him while fellow shooters Kyrie Irving and Derrick Jones are each hitting less than 38 percent from the field. Doncic’s efforts (23 points on 9-of-13 in the first half) kept Game 2 close before Boston pulled away.

Hart hinted that Dallas could perhaps survive solely on Doncic’s power considering that he certainly saw enough one-man shows from Brusnon while the Knicks were decimated by injuries throughout the 2023-24 season. But if Doncic doesn’t find his spots of in-game rest like he did, Hart also implied that Dallas’ Finals run could be over as quickly as it began.

Hart, Doncic, and more will be back in action on Wednesday when the series, which carries a 2-0 Boston lead, shifts to Dallas (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

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