Ailing Josh Hart Takes Blame For Knicks' Elimination

The New York Knicks were left Hart-broken both mentally and physically after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks' dire finish to the 2024-25 season was partly defined by the struggles of Josh Hart, whose issues were particularly glaring in a 125-108 defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, one that denied New York an NBA Finals showing for the 26th consecutive season.

Hart shouldered blame in the somber aftermath, a stark contrast from the jovial reactions his never-say-die attitude and healthy sense of reckless abandon often produced following crucial victories.

“I failed the team. I didn’t bring it the way I should have, especially in this series," Hart lamented, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. "If I played better, it could’ve been a different situation.”

Hart's de facto demotion from starting five staple to sixth man after the Knicks fell behind in the series served as one of New York's prevailing subplots in the futile six-game set. Sitting for Mitchell Robinson originally paid dividends but Hart's struggles off the bench partly spelled the Knicks' ultimate doom.

Granted a series-low 22 minutes in relief on Saturday, Hart was a mere 1-of-6 from the field with a turnover, nearly matching his successful shots with his lost causes throughout the entire series (14 field goals to 13 turnovers).

"I'm kind of disappointed," Hart said of his series showing in video from SNY. "I had some good games, some bad games, I [was] just trying to find it, couldn't find it. Obviously, [I'm] extremely disappointed, could've and should've played better. That's going to sting for a while."

Hart is one of many Knicks who fall victim to the Pacers for the second consecutive season, and this one undoubtedly stings more because of the Knicks healthier entry. The Villanova alum did reveal that he played the final half of Game 6 with a dislocated finger but insisted that the ailment not take up headlines.

"I think I didn't play how I normally play," Hart said, per video from Ian Begley of SNY. "There were some games where I had three or four turnovers that ... caused me to kind of get off my game and be a little more passive ... I failed the the team. I didn't bring it how I should've, especially in this series. If I played better, it could've been a different situation."

This loss is particularly glaring on the Knicks' ledgers with potentially seismic shiftings forecasted on the NBA landscape this offseason: with New York almost entirely devoid of immediate draft assets, Hart's prowess as a veteran do-gooder from both a mental and conventional standpoint could prove to be a curse for his metropolitan longevity, as one of the prominent veterans on this team that could fetch any sort of haul.

Hart partly advocated for the Knicks to "run it back," just as he did after last postseason's somewhat asterisked loss, but acknowledge a cruel summer could well be on the horizon.

"I feel like this team is good enough to make the next step. But it’s a business," Hart said, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "When you don’t get to where you feel like you could’ve or should’ve, changes are made... It’s tough, we’re going to have to see. Don’t think you can ever be too comfortable. I’ll open [the X app] one day and I’m somewhere else. That’s what’s disappointing the most, knowing there’s a good chance this team might not be back in totality.”

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