Three points. That’s what Josh Hart scored in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals. The number worth keeping, though, is 15 – his rebounds – alongside six assists and four steals in 27 minutes. A stat line that lands in the record books.
The Knicks beat the Spurs 105-95 on June 3 in San Antonio, coming back from 14 down to steal home-court advantage. Jalen Brunson (30 points, 13 in the fourth quarter) got the headlines. Hart built the conditions that made those headlines possible.
A first in NBA Finals history
Per ESPN Insights, Hart became the first player in NBA Finals history to lead both teams outright in rebounds, assists and steals in the same game. No one had done it since the league played its first Finals in 1947.
He also joins a short list. Like Shaquille O’Neal in 1995 and Larry Bird in 1981, Hart led both teams in rebounds and assists in his first Finals game. Only Bird, in 1986, had previously put up 15 rebounds, five assists and four steals in a Finals game. Hart is the second.
The invisible architecture of a comeback
The Knicks trailed by 14 in the second half before closing out with an 11-0 run. Brunson hit the shots that mattered – a pull-up jumper, a three-pointer in the final two minutes. But Hart’s work framed the comeback: contested offensive boards that extended possessions, passes to cutters in rhythm, and physical defense that wore down the Spurs when San Antonio still held the lead.
Karl-Anthony Towns (18 points, 12 rebounds) added a double-double. On the other side, Victor Wembanyama finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds but turned it over six times and shot just 6-of-21 from the field, 2-of-9 from three – a night that raises questions heading into Game 2.
Built for the margins
Hart is not the player who generates national previews in October. He earns his spot on offensive rebounds, weak-side rotations, and the kind of physical defense on wings and guards that takes nothing off the stats leader but everything off an opponent’s rhythm. Game 1 was a reminder that margins, in a Finals series, decide outcomes.
The Knicks now lead 1-0, with 12 straight playoff wins – the second-longest streak in NBA history. Game 2 tips off Friday night in San Antonio on ABC (8:30 p.m. ET). Hart won’t be the one taking the final shot. He rarely needs to be.
Sources: Yahoo Sports, NBA.com
