Josh Hart says a mental edge helped the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, comparing New York’s focus to what he saw from their opponents after the West finals. Speaking on the "Roommates Show" podcast, Hart said that when San Antonio beat Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals, he felt the Spurs had already peaked. "When they beat OKC, I felt like that was the mountain top for them," Hart said. He added that he told Jalen Brunson, "You see their reaction? They think they already won. They think it is over."
Hart contrasted that with the Knicks’ response after winning the Eastern Conference over Cleveland. "It was hard for us to even celebrate," he said. "We looked at each other and said, 'We still have four wins to get.' That was just a step on the way, not the goal." The comments were aimed indirectly at Victor Wembanyama, who went viral after San Antonio’s Game 7 win over the Thunder, crying and hugging teammates in an emotional postgame scene.
The moment drew criticism from Kevin Garnett, who said on his podcast that Wembanyama was "too emotional" and that the West finals trophy was not the real objective. "You still have four games left to win a championship," Garnett said. "The Western Conference trophy is not the target. You beat OKC? Fine. But the championship is somewhere else entirely."
Despite the criticism, San Antonio was one of the season’s biggest surprises and one of the youngest teams ever to reach the Finals in the 24-second-clock era. Wembanyama, 22, led the Spurs that far. New York, meanwhile, believes its experience made the difference, with Hart, Brunson and the rest staying locked on the title and bringing the championship back to Madison Square Garden for the first time since 1973.
