After sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers in the semifinals, the New York Knicks are waiting on the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers to finish their second-round series to determine who they will face in the Eastern Conference finals.
In between this weeklong waiting period, the team has been actively recovering and regrouping, with Josh Hart speaking about what they have been focusing on.
“We’re focused on ourselves. We don’t know who is going to play, but if we continue to focus on ourselves… We’ll be in a good position,” the veteran guard told reporters after Wednesday’s practice.
“We had a four-game break [after the first round]. That was good enough. Right now, this is at least a week, if not nine days. It’s been a long time. Obviously, it’s good for recovery, but mentally, I’m watching the games just waiting to get back out there. It’s a little long.”
The Knicks might not have to wait much longer to get back on the court. That is, if the Cavaliers can finish off the first-seed Pistons in six games following an overtime win in game five that put them ahead 3-2.
If New York is to face the Donovan Mitchell-led Cavaliers, this will be a rematch of their first-round series from three years ago. Then it took the Knicks just five games to claim their first series win in a decade. But this time around, it will be in a much more competitive conference finals, with a trip to the NBA Finals hanging in the balance.
“I don’t think we look at it as a pressure situation. We’re in New York, and everything we do is amplified. Our job right now is to stay even, focus on the task at hand,” Hart added.
Last season, the Knicks had momentum at an all-time high going into the conference finals. This was only for them to run into an even hotter Indiana Pacers team that upset them in six games.
This year, the momentum is extraordinarily high, along with the vibes of closing out their past two series in historic blowout wins, where multiple long-standing playoff records were broken or at least tied.
Hart attributed much of the team’s success to their organization, led by owner James Dolan and President Leon Rose, who have made franchise-altering changes, such as trading for All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns and Anunoby, who is averaging 21.4 points per game during this postseason run.
On the court, Hart said this helped them take Jalen Brunson off the ball during the first round, so they can run the offense through Towns as their facilitator and allow everyone to play like themselves.
“Get KAT a little bit more involved in terms of playmaking and being a hub. That allowed [Mikal Bridges] to have an added opportunity. Obviously, OG has been playing very well,” Hart continued. “It kinda just allows everyone to be themselves. When you do that, you win. Lately, and especially the way we’ve been winning in the margins, it’s been successful, and it’s easier to change when you see that success.”
