The New York Knicks will not disappoint their fans at Madison Square Garden whatsoever. After a 2-game losing streak to the Indiana Pacers on the road, Jalen Brunson and Co. wanted to give a sound comeback, which they accomplished with the help of several role players today. Although Brunson recorded another 40-point game, Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson decided to give the “hero” tag to someone else from the Knicks. 

Brunson finished with a game-high 44 points, his fifth 40+ for this post-season, while Josh Hart and Alec Burks played a pivotal role with 18 points each. This helped the Knicks beat the Pacers by 30 points, but wouldn’t have been possible without their center Isaiah Hartenstein. Johnson wrote on Twitter, “Tonight’s unsung hero was Isaiah Hartenstein”.

The Knicks big man secured 17 rebounds in total, out of which 12 of them were offensive rebounds. This helped the Knicks in scoring a lot of second-chance points, which sealed their 121-91 win against the Pacers. The Knicks are up 3-2 now, and Hartenstein played a huge part in taking the lead. Johnson made sure he gave the 26-year-old his flowers for it. 

The Knicks were electric all over the court today. Brunson has the most points in the playoffs this year with 373 on board even after 11 games into the postseason. While it shows Brunson’s excellence, it wouldn’t have been the same without the Knicks surrounding their point guard. And Magic Johnson took note of them too. 

Magic Johnson highlights the X-factors of the Knicks

Johnson first credited Brunson for his offensive masterclass. Later, he paid attention to Josh Hart, who has been the Dennis Rodman for the Knicks in the playoffs. Johnson wrote about Hart, “My main man Josh Hart finished with an 18 points, 11 rebound double-double tonight. I can him Mr. Everything because he does a little bit of everything on the court!” Hart is averaging 12.3 rebounds over an 11-game span in the playoffs this year. Let’s not forget that he is the shooting guard for the Knicks. 

Johnson also highlighted Donte DiVincenzo, who played physically hard against the Pacers today. The Villanova Wildcats star was special on the defense, getting contact, drawing offensive fouls, and also rebounding. The last to get his flowers was coach Tom Thibodeau. Johnson said, “Great coaching job by Coach Tom Thibodeau tonight! He made a key adjustment when he put Miles McBride in the starting lineup. The Knicks played quicker and faster and beat the Pacers at their own game – scoring on the fast break.” Johnson’s analysis was vast today, and it was because of the all-around performance of the Knicks.