Fresh off an NBA Finals victory, Knicks starter Josh Hart opened up about this year’s playoff run and what inspired the best out of him and his teammates. While the Knicks did not need any outside motivation to win the title, there was a moment during the Western Conference Finals that the players later used as fuel against the Spurs.
During a segment on the ‘Roomates’ show, Josh Hart revealed that moment as he spoke to a live crowd of Knicks fans. As Hart explained, it was the aftermath of the Western Conference Finals. As the Spurs celebrated with maximum emotion, Hart couldn’t help but notice how much they let their guard down. After beating the defending champions, the Spurs likely thought they had a clear path to the championship, but they couldn’t be more wrong.
“Everyone was saying that they [Spurs] had to beat OKC. So they beat OKC, and that was like the mountain top for them. After, I look at [Jalen Brunson] like ‘Did you see that reaction?’ They think they’re gonna win it, they think it’s over,” said Hart.
The Spurs thought they faced their toughest challenge in the Conference Finals, and that’s probably why they got so excited after winning the series (Victor Wembanyama was in tears after Game 7). It’s a common mistake for young players, and it’s a lesson this Spurs team learned the hard way.
Meanwhile, the Knicks refused to lose focus after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers. They won eight straight games leading up to the Finals, but kept the celebrations to a minimum as they prepared for the work ahead of them. Going into the Finals, the difference in mentality was massive between the opponents, and it might be what decided the series.
“After we beat Cleveland, it was tough to celebrate cause we were like ‘we got four more.’ Winning the Eastern Conference is an amazing accomplishment, but we all looked at that like this is just a step, this isn’t the destination, and our reaction after Game 4 and 3 shows that,” Hart added.
It had been 53 years since the Knicks last won a title, and they were not about to lose focus with victory in their grasp. Fortunately, thanks to the leadership of guys like Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and head coach Mike Brown, they maintained their composure throughout the playoffs and never let themselves relax until they finished the job. It was only after capturing the Larry O’Brien trophy that the players (Brunson and Hart included) took it upon themselves to celebrate.
As talented as the Spurs are, their lack of experience and emotional maturity played a major role in their defeat. Sometimes, celebrating prematurely can have devastating consequences, and we saw that firsthand as San Antonio got blind sighted in the Finals.
When the Knicks came out with maximum passion, intensity, and focus, the Spurs were unprepared to match, forcing them to play from behind for the entire series. With the Finals over now, they can’t go back and undo their mistake, but they can use it as a learning experience to ensure it never happens again.
