With the Knicks facing a must-win game in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, starting wing Josh Hart was the one who suggested he come off the bench. Hart went to head coach Tom Thibodeau and recommended that he come off the bench with Mitchell Robinson taking his place in the starting lineup.
“It was never going to be a tough day for me because I had a hand in that decision,” said Hart, who still played 34 minutes in the game. “When I’m in a decision like that and kind of got the ball rolling on that, it was funny, y’all are scrambling, trying to get answers and I never really cared. Because it was kind of my decision. I was comfortable with it.”
For his part, Thibodeau said the lineup change wasn’t as big of a deal, because both Hart and Robinson would play a lot, no matter who started the game.
“It really didn’t impact either guy from a minutes standpoint. So to me, when Mitch was coming off the bench, he’s a starter coming off the bench. When Josh comes off the bench, he’s a starter coming off the bench,” Thibodeau said. “Their minutes are gonna be the same. And both guys mix and match. Both guys are comfortable with both units. The thing that I love about Josh is the unselfishness.”