Injuries stink. They're also part of the game. The New York Knicks have tried to grind and battle their way through a whole host of injuries.
Between Julius Randle announcing before the playoffs he was lost for the year, Bojan Bogdanović shutting it down after the first round series win over Philly, Mitchell Robinson going on the shelf after Game 1 against the Pacers, and OG Anunoby's hamstring injury in Game 2 of the semi-finals series, it's been almost too much to take for Knicks fans.
Now, the team's emotional leader, Josh Hart, suffered a strained abdominal muscle on his left side. Hart tried to exit and re-enter two separate times during Friday night's Game 6, but he was unable to continue.
His status for Game 7 is uncertain. Even if Hart gives it a go, he'll likely be compromised and not the same hustle player fans have seen this entire tenure as a Knick.
So now the Knicks are staring at a Game 7 at home leaning heavily on their leader, Jalen Brunson, to take them to the finish line. A berth in the Eastern Conference Finals is at stake.
Where have we seen this storyline before?
Look no further back than the 2021 playoffs, when the Nets watched injury after injury decimate their team, leaving Kevin Durant on an island to try to play hero.
Kyrie Irving, James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge and others were banged up or lost for the playoffs, with the Nets losing an epic Game 7 at home to the eventual champion Bucks.
Just like Durant before him, Brunson may be heroic, but the odds are stacked against the Knicks just like they were the Nets only three short years ago.
The Knicks are hoping to avoid the same fate the Nets faced, a heartbreaking loss on their home court to end the season and a hopeful playoff run cut tragically short.