One major reason for the New York Knicks’ incredible success this season has been the heroic performance of Josh Hart. Giving his all every time he steps on the court, Josh has truly become the ‘Heart’ of the team, and he proved it tonight by playing his second consecutive game without subbing out for the entire 48 minutes as the team bagged the 2-0 lead against the Pacers. With Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby leaving mid-game due to injuries, Hart did not shy away from the challenge and thanked the man above for giving him the energy to get through the night.

After the game, while Hart admitted to not feeling as energetic as he usually does, he revealed what helped him play the entire game amid adversity, “My Lord works in mysterious ways. Today, I felt like I didn’t have it at all. The whole game I was reciting Isaiah 40:29. The weak he renews strength. That was the biggest thing. He allows you to walk and not faint.”

It seems like this has become Hart’s permanent role in the Knicks uniform. Averaging nearly thirty-four minutes during the regular season, most of which came after the Knicks caught the injury bug, Hart has played the ‘Iron Man’ role in the undermanned squad. Even tonight, not only did Josh play the entire game, but he finished with nineteen points on a highly efficient eight of twelve shooting. Not only that, despite being only 6 foot 4, he grabbed fifteen rebounds, his sixth double-digit rebound game in these playoffs.

Josh Hart joins Jimmy Butler in unique company

In just eight playoff games so far, Josh Hart has already played four entire games without getting subbed out, including an overtime game against the 76ers in the previous series. And this incredible achievement put him in a unique company with Jimmy Butler as Hart became the first player since Butler in 2013 with the most complete playoff games played in one year. Surprisingly enough, the head coach of Jimmy Butler during the 2013 playoffs was none other than Josh Hart’s current coach, Tom Thibodeau.

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Maybe that’s how the cookie crumbles when you are playing under coach Thibs. Popular and even criticized for overusing his starters, Thibodeau has a long history of over exerting his players in the pursuit of winning. During the 2013 playoffs, under Thibodeau, Butler averaged over forty minutes in twelve playoff games. And now, Josh Hart is averaging nearly forty-seven minutes under the same head coach.

Thibodeau’s controversial strategy was evident during his time as the head coach of the Timberwolves. Despite the team practically out of playoff contention, Coach Thibs continued to go full throttle on his star players Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, instead of resting them. When asked why, he replied, “I want our guys to get used to what star players do… Our starters, they’re going to play. They have to play. They have to learn. They have to grow.” Other notable players who have played high minutes under Thibodeau include Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, and Zach LaVine.

With the success the Knicks have had so far, it doesn’t look like Coach Thibs is going to change his strategy anytime soon. Hopefully, it will not lead to any major consequences for Josh Hart and the rest of the Knicks going forward.