Josh Hart's Bold Bench Move Sparks Knicks’ Game 3 Win Over Pacers

• by Arlen Fitzpatrick
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Josh Hart Steps Aside—And Changes Everything for the Knicks

Not every starting NBA player would volunteer to give up their spot in the middle of the playoffs. But that’s exactly what Josh Hart did before Game 3 against the Pacers—a move that threw the script into the fire and forced everyone, including the Indiana bench, to take notice.

Hart went straight to Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau and said the team would be better if he came off the bench. He wanted Mitchell Robinson starting alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, believing their size would supercharge the defense. Plenty of stars would see that as a knock to their status, but Hart didn’t hesitate. 'I’ve thought a lot about it,' he said later, sounding more like a coach than a player. 'After what [Robinson] did last game, it was clear we needed his defense on the floor early.'

The result? The difference was immediate. The new-look Knicks stormed out to a 15-10 lead. The Pacers, who had been getting whatever shots they wanted earlier in the series, opened with 2-for-8 shooting. Defensive energy was everywhere—Robinson altered shots, Towns helped on the boards, and the whole mood changed for New York. For context, this was night and day from the previous Knicks lineup, which had managed a -29 rating in the first two games. Suddenly, the starters were holding their own with a positive margin (+1) over 13 gritty minutes together on the court.

A Team-First Mindset Shifts the Series

If you think NBA locker rooms are all about ego, Hart just rewrote that script. He didn’t pout, he didn’t dodge questions—he owned the decision. Hart called it a collaborative plan, but teammates said he led the discussion and made it clear this was about giving the team the best shot in a must-win game. Reporters pressed him about being “benched,” but he shrugged it off, pointing out that the only thing that mattered was the Knicks’ shot at a title.

His attitude set the tone. Robinson seemed revitalized, flying around the paint and anchoring the defense. Towns found his groove as a playmaker, feeding off the extra space and less defensive pressure. Even the bench seemed energized, probably because their leader showed them that roles matter less than results in the postseason.

The impact was obvious on the floor—and in the box score. Indiana’s shooters, so comfortable before, started hesitating. The Pacers’ offense ran into a wall they hadn’t seen in the first two games, largely due to the combination of length and quick rotations that the new lineup delivered. The Knicks’ early surge rattled the visitors and set the stage for a much more confident outing than they’d managed earlier in the series.

Hart’s selfless step back, paired with Thibodeau’s willingness to listen, gave New York exactly what it needed: a jolt of pride, some resilience, and a path back into a series that had been threatening to slip away. Sometimes it just takes one gutsy call—especially when it comes straight from the team’s own heart.