Knicks Star Trolls Pacers For Conference Finals Sweep
Say what you will about the New York Knicks, but they would never do that.
So claims Josh Hart, who included chiding the Indiana Pacers on his post-playoff checklist. The Pacers downed the shorthanded Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals but proved to be no match for the Boston Celtics in the next round, as they lost their NBA Finals bid in a four-game sweep.
Knicks stars Hart and Jalen Brunson described their post-playoff aura on the latest edition of their "Roommates Show" podcast. Asked about the Pacers' speedy elimination by co-host Matt Hillman, the duo revealed that they had spoken to postseason nemesis and Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
The humorous Hart couldn't help but snicker at the turn of events despite the Knicks' elimination.
“I think I said something like, ‘damn, y'all couldn't get one win?' Hart said, much to Brunson's amusement. "Y'all beat us Game 7, whatever, y'all mad hype, y'all couldn't get one win? After three leads in the fourth?"
Despite the one-sided nature of the final margin, the Pacers gave the Celtics a battle: all but one of the four games were decided by five points or less and, as Hart implied, Indiana held a fourth quarter lead in each of those games in question.
Haliburton wound up missing the last two games of the conference final series with an injury, mirroring the myriad of medial maladies that the Knicks dealt with during their own matchup against the Pacers. Both Brunson and Hart were among the final casualties and the former is in active rehab for the hand injury he sustained in the Game 7 loss to Indiana.
Hart believed that, while Brunson would be sidelined and he himself was dealing with abdominal issues after Game 6, the Knicks would've still been able to muster at least one win away from Boston.
"Obviously, if we moved on, (Brunson) wouldn't have been playing, I would have tried to play. I don't know how I would have been. Damn, we could have done that," Hart said. "We would have not had JB, I don't know, I might have played a couple of games. Like at least get one!"
The Knicks overcame several hurdles to set several landmarks throughout the 2023-24 season, earning 50 wins and the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
While even the full-strength Knicks would've had trouble with Boston, which tips off its trek for its 18th championship banner on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), ending a lengthy conference finals appearance drought and getting a win out of it woud've perhaps provided the reasonably perfect ending to a trying season.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks