New York Knicks star Josh Hart observed a critical flaw in the San Antonio Spurs’ approach well before the teams faced off in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Hart, 31, pinpointed the Spurs’ mistake as occurring during their celebration following their victory in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs had eliminated the reigning champions to advance, leaving Victor Wembanyama visibly emotional.
‘Everyone’s talking to them about, ‘Yo, they’ve got to beat OKC. OKC’s going to repeat,’’ Hart recounted on ‘The Roommates Show’ with teammate Jalen Brunson, recorded at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks took a contrasting stance. After sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers to enter their first NBA Finals since 1999, their mindset remained steadfast. ‘You look at our reaction after we beat Cleveland, it was tough to celebrate because we were like, ‘We got four more.’ Winning the Eastern Conference was significant, but we viewed it as merely a step, not the final goal,’ Hart explained.
Hart’s assessment proved accurate, as the Spurs lost double-digit leads in all four of their defeats to the Knicks in the finals. The Knicks exemplified poise and resilience, turning three of the five largest comebacks in NBA Finals history into victories against the Spurs.
Hart contributed consistently throughout the NBA Finals, maintaining strong defense while providing crucial rebounds and offensive facilitation. Over the team’s 19 playoff games, Hart averaged 10.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
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