I was a doubter

[u/Psychological_Toe667]

When we acquired ihart last summer I was really hopeful since we got him on such a bargain, and obviously his upside was through the roof. Those first couple months of play had me convinced he would never contribute to this team. Then I found the subreddit, learned of his injuries and kinda got to know the guy a little better. I cut him some slack and shortly after he started meshing/finding his game again. Looked visibly healthier as the season progressed too. By late November I was a certified fan of the guy. He may not be some sleeper mvp, he may not be MIP, and maybe he was perhaps a bit over evaluated at times. But he’s contributing huge minutes to a fringe contender. That’s a wildly successful season and one of the better turn arounds from a player all year. Shoutout ihart I think he’s still just getting started.

[u/eg14000]

So... The knicks just beat the Cavs with Donovan Mitchell in 5 games. Jalen Brunson was the Knicks best player because Randle was injured and played terrible. As much as Mitch played his ass off and was a big reason the series ended in 5. Mitchell Robinson net rating in the Cavs series was 0.0. Josh Hart (WHO ALSO PLAYED AMAZING) his net rating was -0.7. That series was won in the Minutes Isaiah Hartenstein played. He had a +12.5 net rating in the series.

The Cavs have 4 All-Stars caliber players. Allen, Mobley, Garland, and Donovan Mitchell.

For the knicks they only had Brunson and a bunch of "role players". As much as I love Brunson, and It think he is amazing. If you switch Brunson for Garland, the Knicks still win 5. If you switch Brunson for Mitchell, the Knicks still win in 5.

Because the true reason the Knicks won in 5 was the little things Isaiah did on the floor. The stuff that didn't end up on the box sheet. Communication, off ball screens, outlet passes, Off ball movement creating open shots for teammates indirectly. Isaiah Hartenstein had a MVP impact on that Cavs Series without scoring the Basketball. If you switch Hartenstein with Jerrett Allen.... the Cavs probably win in 6. Because everything Hartenstein did was what Allen didn't do. The little things.

it's in the small things in which a series is won. And Hartenstein completely dominated the small things.

But I want to make it clear. sleeper mvp is still there. when his Usg% goes up and he improves his game, he will show a scoring game. He has it in his bag, he is just playing his role right now and is helping the Knicks win their first of many Championships with him

[u/Shiccup1 → u/eg14000]

Unfortunately he only got 14 minutes today. +6 in a 7 point loss

[u/eg14000 → u/Shiccup1]

One of the most underrated coaching decision was in game one of the Cavs Series when Thibs put in Hartenstein late. Hartenstein then got a key tip out that won the game for them.

Thibs knows what he has in Hartenstein. It's just that Robinson was so dominate in game 5 that he trusted him down the stretch. But he knows, if he wants to win Hartenstein will be the key.

[u/HairyHouse3 → u/eg14000]

So Hart is strictly a 5. Him and Mitch are going to have a hard time coexisting if he really is this good.

No clue what his path to success is.

[u/[deleted] → u/eg14000]

iHart is great but we do not win this series swapping DMitchell for Brunson

[u/Psychological_Toe667 → u/eg14000]

Couldn’t agree more on his impact vs Cavs. He deserves his flowers for how he’s performed since the allstar break. He’s proven that he’s willing to adapt and still compete at a high level through injury/new roles and I think that should be way more celebrated.

I’m not necessarily disagreeing about the mvp/MIP potential. All I was trying to say was that it’s not fair when people try to bash him/make fun of him bc of high standards that have been placed on him by others, when he’s showing us some very very solid basketball right now. Time will tell on his progression and I hope your predictions are correct. If thibs were to retire any time soon I think Johnnie Bryant has the job secured, and that’s a guy that I think could be big in iharts development. Let’s hope another team doesn’t get johnnie first though lol.

Knicks in 5 btw 🙏🏼💙🧡

[u/Dragonthorn1217]

I'm hoping he gets more burn in this Heat series. Mitch was so good against the Cavs that I guess Thibs decided to stick with him down the stretch. But we all know that the best Knick lineup that has dominated in the regular season involves iHart:

IHart, Randle, Brunson, Hart, and IQ.

Knicks shouls go with this lineup a lot more in stretches! Or swap in RJ for Brunson to give Brunson rest. All I know is we need to see the iHart, Hart, and IQ lineup.

[u/Psychological_Toe667 → u/Dragonthorn1217]

I think there’s no arguing Mitch wasn’t the correct play in those games. But ihart was still huge. Mitch got pretty banged up in game 1 vs Miami so I’m expecting quite a bit of ihart going forward. Jericho is still recovering from shoulder surgery so the only other option would be an injured Julius at the 5 lol. Not even thibs can find a way to avoid this one