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The message to the rest of the contenders was clear and urgent: the Knicks know how to win even when they have to grind. On a difficult night from three-point range, Jalen Brunson and company searched for alternative solutions, tightening up defensively to create steals and transition chances, even at the cost of committing a few more fouls. Karl-Anthony Towns paid the price in the first half, already saddled with three fouls before intermission.

During their usual daily conversation on the Cousins channel, Tracy McGrady chose his key player on the best offensive team of this postseason, a group clearly led by Brunson’s leadership.

T-Mac didn’t stop at praising the work of No. 3 in service of the team: according to him, Hart’s impact on Knicks results is comparable to another player currently chasing an NBA title with his teammates.

McGrady’s comments came before Game 2, where, as expected, Hart once again showed his importance across the different lineups Brown used throughout the game.

The summer market was supposed to give the former Kings coach a deeper bench for the decisive stages of the season. In reality, when the game remains close, the first player called on for heavy minutes is always his trusted defensive specialist, who stayed on the floor for 44 minutes. The previous overuse during the Tom Thibodeau era now looks less and less like an extreme decision driven by rigid beliefs.