Mike Brown gets honest about Josh Hart's unmatched impact in Game 1 of the NBA Finals
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Mike Brown gets honest about Josh Hart's unmatched impact in Game 1 of the NBA Finals originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns rightfully earned their flowers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. However, there was an unsung hero for the Knicks in their Game 1 victory, and that was Josh Hart.
For a long time, the Knicks have had Hart as the team's heart and soul. It is evident from how he plays that he works hard in every possession. He does not need to be scoring 20+ points every night because he knows his role and how impactful he can be.
Mike Brown drops rave review of Josh Hart's Game 1 performance
Brown has done a wonderful job coaching this current Knicks team. They have been playing harder than most teams, but the player who epitomizes that the most is Hart. At only 6'5", Hart is not the typical player who towers over everyone. However, he still grabs rebounds like he is a giant.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Hart grabbed the most rebounds of any player at 15. That is more than both Karl-Anthony Towns and Victor Wembanyama, who both grabbed 12 of their own. That kind of statistic is what baffles a lot of people when it comes to Hart because he always finds ways to be impactful.
MORE: Jalen Brunson speaks about how the Knicks' chemistry lifted them to the Game 1 win
Despite only scoring 3 points, Hart made an impact. Despite not scoring much, he was grabbing rebounds, dishing out assists, and most importantly, defending well. That kind of impact is unmatched, and Knicks head coach Mike Brown knows it.
"He impacted the game in so many different ways for us that when you look at what he shot from the field, you wouldn't think that he was probably the most impactful guy on the game last night," Brown said in reaction to Hart's special Game 1 performance.
Moving forward, Hart will continue to play as hard as he can. The Knicks can go as far as the stars can take them, but they can keep doing what they do with role players like Hart stepping up to the plate and taking charge of the intangibles.
More NBA news:
- Mitch Johnson speaks about how they can find solutions for Victor Wembanyama's Game 1 struggles
- Julian Champagnie's salary and contract with the Spurs are unbelievable, given his impact
- How Jalen Brunson has spoiled the viral Air Corgi prediction with Game 1 performance
- Mike Brown is proud of how Jalen Brunson is playing MVP-level basketball
- Victor Wembanyama appears to not be too worried about the Game 1 loss