The New York Knicks won their first championship in 53 years on Saturday, and one of the many storylines is the contributions from guard Josh Hart. The 31-year-old averaged 10.4 points on 43.1% shooting (32.6% 3-point) with 8.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals over 32.3 minutes (19 games) in the playoffs.
Hart's versatility helped make the Knicks nearly unstoppable. For example, he scored 26 points (10-21 FG, 5-11 3-point) with four rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one turnover across 33 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which New York won 109-93. After that, the Maryland native amassed a game-high 15 rebounds with six assists, four steals, one block and no turnovers over 27 minutes in a 105-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Hart was transparent about the Spurs during an episode of his "Roomates Show" podcast with Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson on Friday.
"[With] San Antonio this year, everyone was talking about how they have to beat OKC [the Oklahoma City Thunder href="https://athlonsports.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder"]...Then they beat OKC, and I feel like that was the mountaintop for them as a young team," the 2017 first-round pick said. "I looked at JB and was like, 'You see that reaction? They think they're gonna win, they think it's over.'"
"You look at our reaction after we beat Cleveland, and it was tough to celebrate," he continued. "It was like, 'We got four more.' Obviously, winning the eastern conference is an amazing accomplishment, but we looked at it like 'This is just a step. This isn't the destination.' Our reaction after Game 4 in Cleveland show that."
Although it's typical for players to celebrate after winning a playoff series, many NBA fans on social media thought that the Spurs responded like they won the title. That especially applied to superstar big man Victor Wembanyama, who went viral for his reaction when San Antonio beat Oklahoma City 111-103 in Game 7.
The Spurs are the second-youngest team to ever reach the finals in the shot-clock era, and their lack of experience showed after eliminating the defending champions. Hart's comment spoke to the veteran mentality of not getting too high or too low until the squad wins it all.
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Knicks' Experience Was Key Factor vs. Spurs
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
San Antonio doesn't have a talent deficit compared to New York, as the roster features a 2026 NBA MVP finalist in Wembanyama, the 2025 Rookie of the Year in guard Stephon Castle, and the 2025 No. 2 overall pick in guard Dylan Harper. However, the Knicks performed better at the end of games, which is a sign of experience. That helped them eliminate the Spurs in five contests and finish 16-3 in the postseason.
New York's entire playoff rotation had veterans, and most of them had been on the team for at least a year. The only new additions were bench guards Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado.
The Knicks now have to decide which free agents to keep, as Clarkson, center Mitchell Robinson, guard Landry Shamet and others are no longer under contract. Alvarado also has a $4.5 million player option.
