Josh Hart was frustrated by a postseason shooting slump. The Knicks knew his work would pay off

NEW YORK (AP) — Josh Hart is the closest thing to a comedian on a New York Knicks team that's been all business in these NBA playoffs. There was nothing to laugh about Thursday night early in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals , when Hart missed three 3-pointers to continue a postseason shooting slump. His frustration was evident as he slammed the ball down a few times, and he wondered why what he was doing in practice wasn't showing up in the games.

“I’m just like, bro, it’s not translating right now,” Hart said, once he finished chewing a slice from the box of pizza he carried to his postgame news conference. His teammates — particularly the ones who were also his teammates at Villanova — knew eventually it would. “I know we joke around a lot about his practice habits, but he does work hard,” Jalen Brunson said.

Hart broke out with five 3-pointers and scored a playoff career-high 26 points as the Knicks pulled away for a 109-93 victory over Cleveland to move two wins from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. He exited to a standing ovation , two nights after he was on the bench for nearly all of New York's comeback from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter . Even with everything he does for the Knicks, it was hard to keep Hart on the court at that time.

The Cavaliers , like a number of NBA teams, view the forward's outside shooting as one of the weaknesses in a potent lineup headlined by All-Stars Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and assign their center to cover him. He realizes he will have room to shoot from outside, because opponents want him to. Knowing that, Hart worked extra hard on his shot fundamentals leading into Game 2.