A defining aspect of the New York Knicks in recent years has been their team camaraderie. A lot of that comes from the fact that they have many Villanova guys on the roster. But really, it’s just a close-knit group, Wildcats and all.
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However, that closeness is being tested at the moment. The Knicks are just 2-9 in their last 11 games, dating back to New Year’s Eve. And, coming into Wednesday night’s matchup against the Nets, they’ve lost four straight, all by double digits.
Things have really gone downhill since they won the NBA Cup. Jalen Brunson is the Knicks’ best player, and his recent ankle injury is at least partially to blame for the skid. The heart and soul of the team, though, is Josh Hart.
The definition of a glue guy, Hart does a little bit of everything. He’s one of six players on the Knicks roster who average double figures in scoring. He’s second on the team in assists and third in rebounds, and is willing and able to guard anyone on the floor.
Hart appeared last night on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Normally, you’d think that maybe making a late-night talk show appearance isn’t the best look when your team is in such a rut. But the Knicks need something to break them out of their doldrums.
They don’t look like they’re having much fun right now, so if it takes goofing around with Fallon to shake things up, then why not try it? And Hart’s appearance was very entertaining, from the way he professed his love for Mike & Ikes to Fallon showing off the picture of Hart and his twin sons Hendrix and Haze at a fashion show.
The best part of his segment was when he told the story of how he ended up handing his son off to teammate Mitchell Robinson, with hilarious results. Hart described how the Knicks were beating the Magic handily last month, so when Orlando pulled its starters, essentially waving the white flag, the Knicks did too.
“It was kid day, so my kids were there,” said Hart. “They normally don’t come to games, so I was like, ‘Oh, that’s so cool.’ We’re winning. I had them on the bench. Hendrix did not wanna be on the bench, but Haze was loving it. A minute left, I’m just like, ‘Yeah, it’s over soon.'”
Then things suddenly turned. “Then we have a turnover, they score. Turnover, they score,” Hart narrated.
“They’re shooting free throws, and I’m just like, ‘Oh God, please don’t make me go back in.’ I’m so mentally checked out, my kids are right here, and I’m looking at Mike [Brown] like looking down, and he put Jalen in the game, and put KAT, and I’m just like, ‘Oh, for the love of God, please don’t. Please don’t. There’s 19 seconds left,'” he added.
Unfortunately for Hart, his silent prayers went unanswered, and Brown did call his number. What can you do in that situation except get up and check in?
Usually, you don’t have a child on your lap, but that’s the risk you run when you do that. There was just one problem — Hart couldn’t take his son with him, so what could he do? “He yells, ‘Josh!’ and I’m like, ‘Oh no,’ and I just threw my kid to the closest person. And it was Mitchell Robinson. Not my first choice,” Hart deadpanned, almost sending Fallon falling to the floor with laughter.
“The funniest thing is if you look at Mitch’s face when I do it, he’s so clueless. He has a kid, but he looked so lost; he had no idea what to do. He was just like, ‘Oh God!’ and passed it to the next person. It was a tough 19 seconds,” he concluded the hilarious episode.
The Knicks did close that game out, and in the process might have stumbled upon a good luck charm. Maybe they should let Hart’s kids on the bench against the Nets to try to end this losing streak.
Hart averages over 30 minutes per game, though, so they’ll need to come up with a plan for who’s going to hold the kids when he’s playing. Just don’t let it be Mitchell Robinson.
