Josh Hart suggested his own Knicks demotion in daring Game 3 pivot that paid off

INDIANAPOLIS — Tom Thibodeau made the daring decision, but only after Josh Hart made the suggestion for the move that ultimately resulted in the Knicks’ first win of the Eastern Conference finals.

Hart revealed that he met with Thibodeau and selflessly volunteered to come off the bench so Mitchell Robinson could join the starting lineup before the Knicks overcame another 20-point hole for a 106-100 win Sunday night over the Pacers in Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

“It was never going to be a tough day for me because I had a hand in that decision,” said Hart, who still played 34 minutes in the game. “When I’m in a decision like that and kind of got the ball rolling on that, it was funny, y’all are scrambling, trying to get answers and I never really cared. Because it was kind of my decision. I was comfortable with it.”

Hart contributed several key rebounds during the Knicks’ latest second-half comeback, finishing with eight points and 10 boards as the Knicks improved to 6-1 on the road in the postseason.

“It really didn’t impact either guy from a minutes standpoint. So to me, when Mitch was coming off the bench, he’s a starter coming off the bench. When Josh comes off the bench, he’s a starter coming off the bench,” Thibodeau said. “Their minutes are gonna be the same. And both guys mix and match. Both guys are comfortable with both units. The thing that I love about Josh is the unselfishness.”

With Robinson inserted in place of Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns was switched to power forward and bounced back from a poor first three quarters by netting 20 of his 24 points in the fourth to help the Knicks complete their third comeback win this postseason after trailing by 20 points.

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The impetus for the change was due to the regular Knicks starting unit spotting opponents double-digit leads several times, most recently an early 15-5 hole in Game 2.

Sunday’s game was tied 24-24 when Robinson checked out for the first time with 1:10 left in the first quarter and he finished with six points, six rebounds and one blocked shot in 29 minutes.

“It worked out pretty good,” Robinson said. “Once the game started, we had a nice little lead. Since I’m in that group right now, we kind of figured each other out.”

Hart had said before the move was announced that he was “all for it,” even if it meant coming off the bench for the first time this season.

“This was a conversation that we had, that I’ve had before,” Hart added. “Actually I mentioned, I talked to a couple of people about it before Game 6 [against Boston], I was struggling with the matchup of Luke Kornet, and wasn’t able to really figure that out. Game 6 I had a pretty good game. But it was something that I’ve had in the back of my mind and I’ve always been willing to do.

“Down two [games], especially with how Mitch played last game, that was something that we had to do.”

Longtime college and pro teammate Jalen Brunson hardly was surprised by Hart’s gesture.

“Josh wants to win. It shows who he is as a person, a player and a teammate,” Brunson said. “He doesn’t care for anything individual. He just wants to win. And so, it’s a true testament of a great teammate.”