Josh Hart Explains Knicks Struggles vs. Celtics

Josh Hart and the New York Knicks certainly don't love facing the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks' championship case took a major hit over the weekend: their 37-point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers was bad enough but New York also endured a 118-105 defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics less than 48 hours later. The Knicks have dropped seven of eight to their lasting rivals with the average margin of defeat standing at over 15 points.

Josh Hart, one of the Knicks' few silver linings, attempted to diagnose New York's problems in the ongoing rivalry in the somber aftermath, hinting that a Boston opponent must play flawlessly if they hope to hold a prayer against the defending champions.

“They've got three-level scorers at every single position," Hart analyzed in video from CLNS Media's Bobby Manning. "They got the length defensively to make us get into tough shots offensively, and I think in the first quarter you saw they probably had three layups and then the Sam Hauser three-pointer in transition that really killed us, and that was from our bad offense."

Josh Hart to me on why the #Celtics have challenged the #Knicks so much: “It’s tough. They have three-level scorers at every single position. They got the length defensively to make us get into tough shots.”

Also rattled off how many players you need to account for. pic.twitter.com/FJuwTb5DG1
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) February 23, 2025

"Man, you've got (Jayson) Tatum, who will probably be First-Team All-NBA, Jaylen Brown will probably be Second Team, then (Kristaps) Porzingis, (Derrick) White, Jrue (Holiday), (Payton) Pritchard’s probably Sixth Man. They've got everything, man," Hart continued. "They’re a heck of a team, well-coached team, disciplined team, but we've got to step it up.”

Hart put up 20 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday's loss, falling one assist short of a triple-double after a two-game absence due to knee soreness. That, however, was hardly enough to deter the Celtics (41-16) from their fifth consecutive victory and nine in the last ten.

Sunday's game, in fact, had a beautified final score despite its one-sidedness: to Hart's point about the first quarter, Boston led by 19 after the opening dozen and boosted that lead to 27 in the second half. The Knicks put forth a futile rally over the last eight minutes of the third quarter, one that creeped into the early stages of the fourth, but the Celtics regained their footing well enough to re-establish a lasting double-figure advantage.

Though the Knicks firmly hold the third spot on the current Eastern Conference leaderboard, they're now 0-7 against the top three teams in the Association (Boston, Cleveland, Oklahoma City). If the season ended today, New York would face Boston in the conference semifinal if each expectedly prevailed in its first-round set. The Knicks have one last opportunity to test their mettle against the Celtics this season, as a rematch is slated for April 8 at Madison Square Garden.

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