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There's been much discussion about the increased physicality during the 2025 NBA playoffs, and we now have a visual representation of that phenomenon. New York Knicks forward Josh Hart took an elbow to the face in Wednesday's Game 5 matchup with the Boston Celtics, leaving him bloodied as he lay on the floor. Tensions were particularly high given that it was an elimination game, with the Knicks leading the series 3-1.

With 3:30 left in the first quarter, Hart took a feed from Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson and took off toward the basket for a layup attempt. As Celtics center Luke Kornet slid over to defend the rim, he inadvertently caught Hart with a hard elbow just above his left eye. Hart immediately collapsed to the floor, where the blood quickly began gushing from his head.

After getting to his feet, Hart headed toward the locker room, but wound up staying on the court because he needed to shoot his free throws in order to remain in the game. New York's training staff worked on the cut on the bench before placing a large bandage over it, allowing Hart to shoot his free throws. He made both -- pretty impressive considering he likely had some vision issues following the blow.

Hart remained in the game for two more possessions before being subbed out. He returned with just under 10 minutes left in the second quarter with a slightly smaller bandage over the cut, and showed no immediate ill effects.

Entering Game 5 averaging 12.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 10 playoff games thus far, Hart is one of the most valuable two-way players on the Knicks. He led the league with 38 minutes per game during the regular season, showing just how vital he is to New York's system.

The fact that he returned so quickly probably rules out any concussion symptoms for Hart, though it's likely that he received some stitches before rejoining his teammates on the floor.