Josh Hart is a crucial part of the Knicks’ near future and doesn’t tolerate any disrespect to his team. It seems that when Paul Pierce, the Celtics Legend, said that the Knicks beat them in the Playoffs by luck in 2024-25, Hart went on X to seemingly respond to Pierce.
“NY is running through Boston,” wrote the Knicks player on X, seemingly saying that the Knicks would bulldoze the Celtics any day. This came just hours after Paul Pierce claimed that it was the Celtics who choked in the 2024-25 Eastern semi-finals and the win had nothing to do with the Knicks’ talent.
“Yeah, I think [Celtics] blew that series. Absolutely. They had 20-point leads in the first two games, at home, and they lost them both? Yeah, they blew that series. That had nothing to do with the Knicks’ talent and all that,” said Pierce.
It would still make sense if Pierce said it was Jayson Tatum’s injury that helped the Knicks get the advantage, but he doubled down by saying that the Celtics dug their own grave, irrespective of the injury.
The Celtics legend is completely discounting that players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson had very dominating performances against the Celtics, even before Tatum went down. Hence, it seems that this disrespect did not sit well with their teammate, Josh Hart.
In my opinion, Pierce claiming that the Knicks’ talent had nothing to do with their victory without saying what else caused the Celtics’ loss seems like an unwarranted dig at the Knicks while remaining biased towards your own favorite team.
If the Celtics blew multiple leads, it can be for one of two reasons: either the Knicks pressured them and bounced back, which credits their talent, or the Celtics intentionally stepped off the gas pedal in a now-or-never opportunity and let the Knicks win.
Meanwhile, experts in the league are considering that the Knicks are now in a very strong position to make it to the NBA Finals from the Eastern Conference. So are those experts seeing some talent in the team that Pierce is missing?
It is not a shock, however, that a Celtics legend is taking a dig at the Knicks, considering their rivalry in the past. Arguably, the two most storied franchises in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks and the Celtics, have a rivalry that goes way back to the foundation of the NBA. In the Playoffs, the Celtics have won eight of the 15 Playoff series between the two teams since the league’s foundation in 1946.
While Pierce made a questionable claim, his reasoning for the Celtics losing the 2024-25 Playoff series remains a bit flawed. If it’s not the Knicks’ talent, then Pierce needs to make some statistical claims, like in the last five seasons, the Celtics are 12-8 against the Knicks in the regular season, and also won a championship with this roster just one season ago.
Therefore, the Celtics have shown that they have a lot more talent on their roster, with the foundational core of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But now the Celtics are on the verge of self-implosion.
With Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday traded away and Jaylen Brown being open to considering a future away from the Celtics, the front office is likely panicking. Their star player is likely out for the season, and they have a completely new team that is destined for a Play-in finish at best, in my opinion.
