The New York Knicks just took down the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, and Josh Hart was the star of the show. Yet after the game, Donovan Mitchell was asked about his impact, and he effectively admitted that the Cavs are willing to live with his production. That’s perfect motivation for Hart moving forward.
Hart’s red-hot three-point shooting helped lift the Knicks to victory, and Jalen Brunson did his part, too. The Cavs upped their pressure on Brunson, so he dished out 14 assists. Hart certainly benefited from those dimes. But apparently, his scoring was merely a tip-your-cap moment for the Cavs.
That should light a fire under Hart. Well, Hart always has a fire lit under him, so this should throw some extra coal into the fire pit.
Donovan Mitchell may have just handed Josh Hart even more motivation than he already had
Mitchell was asked about the Cavaliers’ defense and, in particular, Hart’s scoring in Game 2. His response was to simply tip his cap to Hart. Those were his exact words.
“Sometimes you've got to tip your cap. He made a one-handed spin move on me. Not to say he's not capable, but sometimes that's what happens. We'll make our adjustments, but you've got to give credit where credit is due.”
"Sometimes you've got to tip your cap. He made a one-handed spin move on me. Not to say he's not capable, but sometimes that's what happens. We'll make our adjustments, but you've got to give credit where credit is due"
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 22, 2026
- Donovan Mitchell on Game 2 pic.twitter.com/lbbkgpOw6x
In the clip, he also likened the way Cleveland is defending Hart to the way the San Antonio Spurs have been defending Alex Caruso in the Western Conference finals.
But there’s a big difference there. The Spurs actually won the game in which Caruso scored a ton of points. He had 31 in Game 1, and the Spurs won that game in double overtime.
In Game 2 of the ECF, Hart finished the night with 26 points, four rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 10-of-21 from the floor and 5-of-11 from behind the three-point line.
And the Knicks absolutely blew the doors off the Cavs. That doesn’t exactly sound like the type of performance the Cavaliers should be tipping their hats to.
Obviously, the NBA is hard. The Cavs have some tough decisions to make. Do they allow Brunson to absolutely shred their defense? Or do they take their chances letting Hart shoot?
The answer is the latter, but that doesn’t mean Hart shouldn’t be motivated by it. He absolutely should be, especially after the answer Mitchell delivered at the podium after Game 2.
Hart should be as fired up as ever after his big-time performance, and Mitchell’s answer only added fuel to that fire.
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