Over the last two years, the data was considerable: the New York Knicks played better basketball, by the numbers, when somebody else started in place of Josh Hart.
The New York Knicks have three starting wings in Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart. Over the last two seasons, they've statistically been better when just two play. And, for many reasons, Hart kept standing out as the "easiest" one to bench.
In Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers, though, he gave fans what may have been his pièce de résistance with regard to that starter status. He played 40 minutes in the win despite having an injured finger on each hand.
Even Tom Thibodeau eventually went to Mitchell Robinson in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. But Mike Brown wound up going back to the same well. And Hart keeps showing exactly why coaches can't quit him.
Hart shows Knicks he'll continue to defy data with grit, toughness, and...
Whether it was Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, or even Landry Shamet who started in place of Hart, the team statistically performed better with just one or two of their starting wings on the floor.
But this is the same Knicks group that's struggled with consistently meeting the moment. They excelled in spurts that they consistently followed up with slumps.
And while Hart certainly contributed to some of their unexpected losses, or rough patches, he also represented their only way out of them.
Hard work, attention to detail, and an overall belief that nobody on the team is above doing anything it ultimately takes to win would fuel New York's way out of any slumps. Hart embodies those exact qualities. And he always delivers when it matters most.
All the Knicks need is love, which comes directly from the Hart
Dropping a double-double, with only four healthy fingers on each hand, was simply his latest example.
His 12-point, 11-rebound performance may have come at the most of four New York turnovers. He may have missed all four of the 3-point attempts he fired off with just eight healthy fingers. But the Knicks won his 40 minutes by five points. And they left the arena with a 3-0 lead in the Semi-Finals.
The 30-year-old's indefatigable spirit is certainly beloved by fans. It's also led to concerns that coaches might naturally be inclined to overrely on Hart, who shouldn't be expected to deliver star-level impact. Thibodeau fueled them when he had the generally positionless Swiss Army knife lead the NBA in minutes per game last year.
But ultimately, there are thousands of factors that go into winning four straight playoff series and being rewarded with an NBA Championship trophy. Data helps measure plenty of things about players, schemes, and lineups. It's necessary to any modern business or industry.
Especially when large sums of money are involved, the people in charge generally like to have as much information as possible. But while the data was consistent regarding the Knicks' starting five, it also showed that they were consistently better closing games than starting them.
In the playoffs, when every game tips off with a fourth-quarter level of intensity, Hart and his teammates have proven that some data points were much more relevant than others.
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