PHILADELPHIA — Josh Hart was hoping the 76ers would make a bold shot despite their success from long range earlier in the series.
Hart hit perhaps the biggest 3-pointer of his career with 25.1 seconds left to tie the game in the Knicks’ 118-115 series-clinching game against the 76ers on Thursday night.
“Josh was Josh,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “He’s a player. He’s spent a lot of time filming. I always feel like I don’t know what’s going on with him. There’s a lot of invisible things that he has. That’s what makes your team good.
“I always believe that when it’s a big shot, it’s going to go in. He has the ability to do that. When he needs an offensive rebound, he goes through the three, four, five to get it. He’s going to go. It’s a loose ball, he’s going to make something happen. He’s just a fierce, fierce competitor.”
Hart shot just 31.0 percent from 3-point range during the regular season, a sharp drop from the 51.9 percent he shot in 25 games with the Knicks late last season after being traded to the Trail Blazers.
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But with the Sixers’ game plan to swarm Jalen Brunson and beat Hart boldly, he sank four 3-pointers in each of the first three games and three more on Thursday. .
“It was a rotation, obviously they beat JB, so I knew.” [Tyrese] Maxey was right there, right next to me, so my first instinct was to pass to Tay once they rotated,” Hart said of teammate Donte DiVincenzo. “Obviously the game plan was to not rotate me.
“The moment I saw they weren’t spinning, I stood firm and hit a no-nonsense shot.”
Hart finished the series averaging 16.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 46.3 minutes per game, including all 53 minutes in Game 5 and 46 minutes in Game 6.
Hart, who had ice packs on both knees after the morning’s shootaround, tweaked his ankle in the second quarter but remained in the game.
“Josh is never close to coming out,” Thibodeau joked. “It was a passing thought, so I left it at that.”
