CLEVELAND — Josh Hart Lightens the Mood for Knicks

Josh Hart kicked off his comments with a joke that really captured the moment. When asked about owner James Dolan’s expectations for the Knicks—to reach the Finals this year—Hart quipped, “I better go to the Finals or I’ll get traded.” This light-hearted remark came after the Knicks’ shootaround on the morning of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

While it was made in jest, there’s a hefty amount of pressure on the Knicks this season. This pressure, it seems, was dialed up following the firing of Tom Thibodeau despite the team making it to the conference finals, and when Dolan declared back in January that “going to the Finals is an absolute must.”

The Knicks were gearing up to tackle that mission on Monday.

Karl-Anthony Towns expressed similar sentiments, noting that the team didn’t need Dolan’s urging because they all shared the same desire. “Everyone wanted that moment, especially after last year when we got so close,” he said. “There’s a new expectation now. We’re focused on taking that next step.” Towns emphasized how last season had lifted the excitement in the city and how they were now motivated to meet those heightened expectations.

Hart reinforced his teammate’s thoughts, pointing out that Dolan’s words added a little extra motivation, but the drive to succeed came from within the team. “It’s not really pressure,” he stated. “It’s our goal, and we’re our own toughest critics. Hearing it from the top just fuels our desire to get there.”

Interestingly, the timing of Dolan’s comments was significant. Earlier this year, amid a rough patch where the Knicks lost nine of eleven games, Dolan had broken a two-year media silence and expressed the need for better performance. That wasn’t the best time for such declarations, especially considering they had just suffered a heavy loss to the Pistons.

Of course, the regular season brings its ups and downs, and Towns acknowledged that those moments can be expected. “It’s all part of the season’s rhythm,” he reflected. “But the timing of that loss, especially when things were already looking shaky, added to the impatience of the New York fans. We totally get that.”

“It was tough for us, but it also helped us grow and become more united,” he continued. “We learned that as long as we believe in each other and depend on one another, we can get through anything, whether it’s a rough start or a tough game.”