Is Josh Hart ejected? Taking a closer look
New York Knicks wing Josh Hart has been frustrated with the officiating in the Knicks’ Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Miami Heat.
His frustration culminated in Game 5 on Wednesday night when he picked up three fouls in the first quarter. This included a Flagrant 1 foul for his closeout on Heat star forward Jimmy Butler's 3-point attempt.
Hart was so fed up that following the call, he left the game to head to the locker room to cool down. This led many fans to think he was ejected; however, Hart is still eligible to play.
Josh Hart was called for a flagrant one on this play
He had 3 fouls in the first quarter 😳 https://t.co/HIsj0Q6rHt
Josh Hart is fed up with the referees and I don’t blame him https://t.co/8XHenASrcH
Josh Hart on officiating in Knicks-Heat series
Josh Hart’s Game 5 frustration comes after he voiced his unhappiness with the officiating following the Knicks’ 109-101 Game 4 loss to Miami. Hart fouled out in just 22 minutes in Game 4.
“What do you think? Did you see them? You saw them right?” Hart said when asked his thoughts about his foul calls.
“I think you can see from my reaction (to some of them).”
Hart was particularly frustrated with an offensive foul he picked up late in the third quarter:
“I told the referee Bam (Adebayo) did the same thing on a Jimmy Butler layup, Jimmy had a wide-open layup.” Hart said.
“Mitchell Robinson tried to go contest it. Bam just grabs him. (The official says) ‘I don’t disagree with what you’re saying.’ I don’t understand it. If you don’t disagree with it, (why is it) two different outcomes? I don’t understand it.”
Hart was also asked about his demotion to a bench role starting in Game 4, to which he said he has to be ready no matter what:
“That’s a conversation that Thibs and I had for the last week or so, and for me as a player, I got to be ready, whether I start, whether I don’t start,” Hart said.
“I got to come in and bring energy. I don’t feel like I did that today.”
Hart averaged 10.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.0 3-pointers per game on 39.0% shooting over his first four games against Miami.
For the playoffs as a whole, Hart is averaging 11.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 1.0 3PG on 47.6% shooting through nine games.
Per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Josh Hart is expected to parlay his solid play into a sizeable contract this offseason:
“According to four NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype, Hart is now projected to be worth $15-18 million annually in free agency this summer,” Scotto reported.
“The overwhelming belief is that Hart will decline his $12.96 million player option and re-sign with the Knicks, according to those four executives and many others around the league.”
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