Josh Hart has never been mistaken for a knockdown shooter, but something has clicked for him in March and the timing couldn't be better for the New York Knicks. This team has won six straight and are sitting at third in the Eastern Conference with three weeks left in the regular season, and Hart's hot hand from deep is a big reason why.

The numbers are hard to ignore. Hart is shooting 48% from three in March and has made nine consecutive attempts across three games. The peak came against the Pacers on March 17th, when he went 5-for-5 from deep and finished with a Knicks career-high 33 points on 12-of-13 shooting.

He became the first player in NBA history to record at least 30 points, five three-pointers, five rebounds and five assists while shooting 90% or better from the field. What makes this stretch so meaningful is how it's forced New York's opponents to adjust.

When a player like Hart, someone defenders have been comfortable leaving open for years, suddenly can't miss from three, it creates real problems. Closing out gets harder and suddenly the whole offense has more room to breathe. Jalen Brunson has a front-row seat to all of it, and he knows exactly what he's seeing. 

"He's been in the gym," Brunson said. "He's been working on his game, he's been consistent with it. When you're consistent with your work that's what happens. We all know what he's capable of, and he's just going to go out there and continue to be himself."

Brunson is one of the sharpest players in the league and he's not in the business of saying things just to say them. He knows Hart better than most people, and he sees all the work going on in the background. This streak is the result of deliberate work paying off at the right moment.

Hart himself was a little bit more modest about it. "I guess I'm just throwing the ball up there and fortunately it's going in the rim," he said. The humility is classic Hart, but the results clearly speak for themselves. 

The Knicks are in a great position right now, but they can't afford to coast headed down the stretch. They're just a half game back of Boston for the second seed, and getting home court for a potential second-round rematch with the Celtics would be huge. 

Hart's hot shooting will continue to be a big game-changer if he keeps this up, particularly in the postseason. Playoff defenses are designed to take away the things you do best. When Hart can punish teams for any defensive lapse from deep, it becomes nearly impossible to game-plan against New York.

The only concern right now is health. Hart has been dealing with right knee patellofemoral syndrome and has already missed time this season. The Knicks will need to manage him carefully down the stretch.

But if he can stay on the floor and keep this version of his game going, New York's ceiling gets a lot higher in April and May.