Knicks' Josh Hart Loves Matchup With Donovan Mitchell

Josh Hart's long path to the playoffs ends against Cleveland Cavaliers star, his close friend and a former New York Knicks target.

Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

You can't even say it's Christmas in April for Josh Hart ... Christmas is guaranteed to come once a year.

Hart is instead counting down the days to the NBA Playoffs' Saturday tip-off, which includes an evening portion between his New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers (6 p.m. ET, ESPN). The opener of the best-of-seven set allows Hart to make his NBA postseason debut in his sixth professional campaign, needing 372 regular season appearances to make it to this point. The latter tally was the fourth-longest active streak without a taste of the NBA playoffs and he'll be joined by two of the guys in front of him, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, when the Sacramento Kings tip off shortly after the Knicks on Saturday.

"I wish Saturday was coming a little sooner," Hart declared in video from SNY. "(I'm) super excited with the guys that we have in the locker room, with the coaching staff, in the front office. We have a great group of men here and we're excited, we're focused, and we'll continue to get ready."

Hart's request for a time machine would probably fall on deaf ears: the Knicks, after all, can afford to be patient considering the medical uncertainty around All-Star Julius Randle. His past and present will nonetheless when he takes to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse's hardwood, as he'll likely be one of the primary stoppers of Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell.

Little more needs to be said about the significance of Mitchell facing the Knicks in a playoff series, as the Empire State native was long linked to Manhattan over the summer before the Cavaliers stepped in. Mitchell's connection with Hart, however, spans years, dating back to their earliest days on the NBA trail.

Hart met Mitchell when the two were engaged in NBA Draft prep and both heard their names called during 2017's opening round in Brooklyn. Mitchell went with the 13th choice to the Utah Jazz (five picks after the Knicks chose Frank Ntilikina) while Hart was the final choice of the first to the Los Angeles Lakers. A well-traveled career sent him to New Orleans and Portland before the latter traded him to the Knicks in February.

The two trained at Hart's alma mater of Villanova University and have kept in touch over the ensuing six years. There has, of course, been the occasional on-court meet-up on professional hardwood but Hart explained how the relationship has gone beyond round ball as the Knicks prepared for their business trip to Ohio. 

"We have the same barber, have to make sure the barber was there so I can get a fresh cut,” Hart said, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “It’s exciting because that’s someone I’ve known for the last seven years. Someone who I’ve watched grow in the league. Someone who has a great personality, a high character kid. So it’ll be fun. We play video games together. We talk trash, hang out.”

Hart, of course, know he'll have to kill the love once things tip-off on Saturday. New York (47-35) is seeking its first playoff series victory since 2013 and Mitchell is sizable obstacle. The Louisville alum put up a career-best 28.3 points per game in his first Forest City affair and he'll likewise take the series personally: his time in Salt Lake City came to an end thanks to the efforts of the Knicks' prized acquisition Jalen Brunson, who led the way for a mostly Luka Dončić-less Dallas Mavericks team in the Western Conference's opening round from last spring. 

Mitchell averaged 31.8 points in four meetings against the Knicks this season, though Cleveland went 1-3 in those get-togethers. It's part of a statline in which Hart is well-versed and he'll be one of the primary men attached to Mitchell, a task he welcomes with open arms.

“As a competitor, if you’re not excited for these matchups, for these games, I think you’re kind of in the wrong sport,” Hart told The Post. “When you’re playing against the Donovan Mitchells in the league, someone who is a good scorer on all three levels, someone who is shooting almost 50 percent from the field, 38 from 3, high-80s from the [free-throw] line, he’s getting it done from everywhere on the court. So definitely getting excited for someone like that."

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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