The heart of the New York Knicks showed out on the stat sheet tonight, on why he is important. Josh Hart had a career playoff-high 26 points, and Madison Square Garden erupted with a standing ovation. His intangibles, which don’t appear on the stat sheet, are always appreciated. Mike Brown even drew a with a former Warriors “glue guy” who even won the Finals MVP.

“They’re different players but they’re similar players,” the Knicks head coach compared Hart to Andre Iguodala. “Andre is edgy, too. Andre’s a hell of a player. He’s a great player and he does so many little things that if you’re not careful, you won’t appreciate them. It’s the same with Josh. He does so many little things that don’t show up in this box score. But he does so much more, starting with the versatility that he gives us defensively that you have to, starting with me, be careful to not dismiss it. On top of that, because he’s so impactful as a connector, I got to give him probably more leash than anybody else.

“I got to let him go be him and get out of his way. That’s hard sometimes as a coach, because you’re looking at X’s and O’s and you want everything to be perfect. You’re looking at the box score and you’re looking at this. With Josh and with Andre, all that s–t should be thrown out the window because those dudes are winners.” The comparison is simple since Hart and Iguodala would sacrifice their scoring and focus more on helping their team on the hardwood.

Mike Brown was the top assistant and associate head coach for the Golden State Warriors previously. That’s when he saw Iggy being a high-IQ, versatile player who impacts winning beyond traditional box scores. It was notable during the 2015 championships for the Dub Nation. When Iguodala was on the court as the primary defender, LeBron James was held to just 38.1% shooting from the field. In fact, Steve Kerr moved Iguodala into the starting lineup for Game 4, replacing center Andrew Bogut, which unlocked the Warriors’ fast break, spacing, and switching defense.

He averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game during the series, and in the decisive Game 6, he erupted for 25 points, matching Curry’s scoring total to seal the title. Similarly, tonight it was Josh Hart’s night as he finished 10-for-21 from the field and 5-for-11 from three-point range. Both of them were team highs, which is very rare in the current Knicks setup. Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to let Hart have his shots, but they didn’t expect this efficiency, and Mike Brown was comfortable giving that extra leash.

In the beginning, the Cavs’ plans looked alright as Josh Hart missed his first three attempts from deep. But then would go on a heater and drop 5-for-8 the rest of the way. The Knicks even when on an 18-0 third-quarter run that all but put the game out of reach. During that stretch, the 31-year-old had nine points, two assists, and a steal, and he finished the quarter with 12 points.

Josh Hart did not hype his performance as the Knicks continue setting records

Spin moves, corner threes, and catch-and-shoot excellence. Fundamentally, it was a sound shooting night for Hart. That’s why other teammates have no problem taking the back seat. None of the four other starters scored more than 20, but they still made quality contributions. Karl-Anthony Towns (18 points, 13 rebounds) and Jalen Brunson (19 points, ⁠career-playoff-high 14 assists) each had ​a double-double. Meanwhile, Mikal Bridges added 19 points, and OG Anunoby scored 14.

Even after a playoff high score, Josh Hart once again only spoke for the team. “We ​don’t really care who gets the shine, the shots, the minutes, those kind of things — we’re focused on winning,” ​Hart said. “I think ‌everyone is willing to sacrifice their own personal agendas or performance for the betterment of the team. And when you have a group of guys that do that, sky’s the limit.” That’s why Brown praised Hart, because this again was a perfect example of him thinking about winning rather than individual accolades.

With this, the Knicks have now won nine straight, a franchise record for ​a single postseason, since a 109-108 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of a first-round series on April 23. In fact, eight of those victories were by double digits as the Knicks have compiled a plus-221 net point differential. It’s also the best through a team’s first 12 playoff games ⁠in NBA history.