Well, there goes another one. The New York Knicks continue to face mounting injury concerns, and the latest casualty of this year’s playoff run is Josh Hart, who had to leave Game 6 after suffering an injury to his abdomen.

Hart’s injury is another disheartening one for the Knicks, especially since he is one of their most tenacious roleplayers, someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to win a ball game. After already losing OG Anunoby in Game 2, the Knicks must now be hoping that Hart can return for the deciding game of the series. It sucks for Knicks fans, considering how well they’ve played even after losing Julius Randle for the season in January. They’re also missing Mitchell Robinson, who got hurt in the first round, and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Without Hart, the Knicks may simply not have enough reliable contributors to get it done against the Indiana Pacers, even though they’ll play Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Jalen Brunson has had a phenomenal postseason, but there’s only so much that one man can do in a team sport. 

Honestly, I expect Hart to play in Game 7. Brunson seemed confident that his teammate would, too, but the problem facing them is what version of Hart will show up in a couple of days. Although the man’s will is clearly strong, abdominal injuries can linger for a long time. Damian Lillard dealt with an abdomen injury a couple of years ago, and he eventually needed surgery to correct it.

The Knicks have been my favorite team to watch in the playoffs so far, and so I’m sad that the injuries keep mounting up. It’s no surprise, considering Tom Thibodeau’s penchant for playing extremely tight rotations that lean on heavy minutes for his starters. Honestly, I’m amazed that the Knicks keep finding new people to pick up the slack.