Josh Hart put in a career best performance in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
The Cavs dared Hart to make his shots and beat them. To everyone's surprise, that is exactly what he did.
After a slow start in the first quarter, the Knicks roared back in the next two quarters and took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter. There was no comebacks this time as the Knicks secured a 109-93 victory over the Cavs at the Madison Square Garden. The win gave the Knicks a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
When the game was well out of reach for the Cavs, Hart was taken off the game with two minutes to go in regulation time. As he made his way to the bench, the MSG crowd cheered and gave Hart a standing ovation.
Josh Hart has built a reputation for his hustle plays and high motor. He has been an important player for the Knicks since joining them in 2023. He is known for his outspoken personality and played an instrumental role in leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
The Knicks forward scored a career-high in the playoffs. He recorded 26 points to go along with four rebounds and seven assists. It was a strong performance from the Knicks after a historic comeback in Game 1.
Knicks fans are known to be a very passionate fanbase. While they made the headlines after Game 1 for the wrong reasons, they showed a positive side of themselves in Game 2. ECF Game 2 will be remembered as the Hart show.
Josh Hart was the Knicks' offensive engine in the second half. The 31-year-old took over the game from the third quarter. He shot at 48% from the field and made five of his 11 three-point attempts. It was Hart who sparked the 18-0 run that doomed the Cavs.
After the game, Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell spoke to the media about Hart's performance in Game 2.
Not comparing the players. But you see a similar situation in the other series with Caruso. They're (San Antonio Spurs) kind of guarding him in the same way. Sometimes that's what happens. But you give them credit where credit is due.
Mitchell is comparing Hart's performance to Alex Caruso's in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder player is coming off two big scoring nights in Games 1 and 2 against the Spurs. Mitchell believes that it is because of the way they have been guarding and daring Hart to make his shots. But to Hart's credit, he was making them on Thursday night.
The Knicks have been nearly flawless after going 2-1 down to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. After beating the Hawks in six games, they showed everyone why they were championship contenders this year after clean sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers.
It has been a strong start to the Eastern Conference Finals series for the Knicks. After pulling off a 22-point fourth quarter comeback in Game 1, they put in an all-round performance in Game 2.
With a 2-0 lead over the Cavs, the Knicks have extended their winning streak to nine games. It is their longest winning streak in the playoffs in franchise history.
The Knicks remain aware that the Cavs were 2-0 down against the Detroit Pistons in the previous round. Hence, they cannot take their foot off the gas despite their commanding lead in the series. However, they are just two games away from sealing a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The Knicks are closer than ever of ending their championship drought, which has spanned for 53 years.
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