NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
New York Knicks small forward Josh Hart hit shots both on the floor and at his press conference Thursday.
Hart, who scored a playoff career-high 26 points in the Knicks’ 109-93 Game 2 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square Garden, was asked about analytics and had a funny answer.
“I’m never a big analyst. At a certain point, they’re a lamppost for a drunk person. You can lean on them, but it won’t get you home,” Hart told reporters.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart reacts after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on May 21, 2026. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
“At a certain point you have to have a good feel for the game.”
Hart’s rant drew laughs from reporters. Karl-Anthony Towns, who was on the podium with him, took off his glasses and looked at his teammate with a confused expression.
“Oh my god, bruh,” Towns said.
Hart then credited the quote to his former Villanova coach, using his full name to do so.
“I’m not going to lie, that’s Jerold Wright, his quote. Shoutout Jay Wright.”
Towns then stopped the press conference, not wanting to let Hart get away with the analogy.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Josh Hart of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third quarter of Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
“Wait, wait, we’re not moving on from that,” Towns said.
“That’s a good quote,” Hart replied.
He then explained the quote to Towns.
“I was with (coach John Calipari at Kentucky), so I didn’t hear that,” Towns said.
“You’re not even in college,” Hart quipped back to Towns, who laughed.
In the Knicks’ Game 1 comeback win, Hart struggled mightily to shoot. He had 13 points and made just one of his five 3-pointers.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks celebrates after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third quarter of Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Head coach Mike Brown replaced Hart and inserted Landry Shamet, who helped spark the Knicks’ fourth-quarter rally. In Game 2, the Cavaliers dropped Hart and dared him to shoot 3-point attempts.
Unlike Game 1, Hart drained five of his 11 3-pointers and led the team in scoring. The Cavaliers’ game plan defensively was to make Hart beat them, and that’s exactly what he did. Although he may not have used analytics to help his shooting.
Hart will look to stay hot from deep when the Knicks take on the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday at 8:00 PM ET, with hopes of taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.
