Josh Hart became the first Knick to record a playoff triple-double since 1972, and Clyde Frazier was quick to recognize the magnitude of the moment.
“He’s the heart of the team,” said Frazier on the MSG broadcast following New York’s 119-81 Game 6 blowout over the Celtics. “I saw the black eye, he was undaunted by that. The good rebounding. He grows on you, you watch him he just does whatever it takes to win a game.”
Hart finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, becoming the first Knick to post a triple-double in the postseason since Frazier himself did it 52 years ago.
The veteran forward’s all-around effort helped New York dominate the Celtics at Madison Square Garden and clinch its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2000.
Hart’s triple-double came amid one of the most lopsided playoff wins in franchise history, with the Knicks opening up a 64-37 halftime lead and stretching the advantage to 41 in the third quarter.
The Knicks held Boston to just 36% shooting and won the rebounding battle 55-36, with Hart grabbing three offensive boards.
Frazier, a Hall of Famer and Knicks legend, praised Hart’s toughness, referencing the black eye he sustained earlier in the series and noting how it never altered his intensity.
New York’s dominance overshadowed Boston’s shorthanded lineup, which was without Jayson Tatum due to a season-ending Achilles injury suffered in Game 4.
New York now advances to face the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, with Game 1 set for Wednesday at the Garden.
