Latest news with #JoshHart
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New York Knicks Have Two Scapegoats After Loss to Indiana Pacers
New York Knicks Have Two Scapegoats After Loss to Indiana Pacers originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Before the 2024-25 NBA season, the New York Knicks pulled off two of the biggest trades of the offseason, adding Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Advertisement With their new star-studded roster, the Knicks felt that they could compete for an NBA championship, although they ultimately would lose to the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs for the second season in a row. While Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and Mikal Bridges were solid in the Eastern Conference Finals, two scapegoats emerged for the Knicks. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0), New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11), center Karl-Anthony Towns (32), and forward Josh Hart (3)© Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart Did Not Live Up to Expectations During the Knicks' playoff run last season, Josh Hart was one of the best players on the roster, grabbing rebounds, hitting timely shots, and playing stellar defense. With the addition of Towns, the Knicks bolstered their star power and were expected to compete, although they ran into a similar situation as last season. Advertisement When New York needed Towns and Hart the most, they were non-factors. Towns averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds in the regular season while shooting 42 percent from deep, landing him on his third All-NBA team. Hart averaged 13.6 points and 9.6 boards. In the decisive series, Towns averaged 24.8 points on much worse efficiency and played poor defense down the stretch. Hart posted only 8.3 points and had his starting spot taken from him after Game 2 for Mitchell Robinson, who could emerge as the Knicks' starting center next season. After the early playoff exit, there have been calls for New York to trade Towns, and the argument makes sense. If Brunson, Anunoby, and Bridges can shoulder a large scoring load, perhaps an elite defender is better than a streaky shooter who is known for disappearing in the postseason. Advertisement Check out the All Knicks home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Related: Fans React to Timothee Chalamet Announcement During Knicks-Pacers Game 6 Related: Tom Thibodeau Gets Candid About Knicks' Offseason After Playoff Exit This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Knicks demolished in second half as dream season ends with Game 6 dud
A dejected Jalen Brunson walks off the floor after the Knicks' 125-108 season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. INDIANAPOLIS — It was set up perfectly for them. The Cavaliers bowed out early. The Celtics became depleted and were never going to recover after blowing those two 20-point leads at home. The Knicks then flushed that golden opportunity down the drain. Advertisement They blew Game 1, a loss that will be remembered among the very worst in franchise history, and they never recovered. Favored to reach the NBA Finals, the Knicks couldn't even push the Pacers in Game 6. Series-long issues — transition defense, turnovers and slowing down Pascal Siakam — were among the reasons Indiana cruised to a 125-108 rout Saturday night at boisterous Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Above those were Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks' two All-NBA talents, coming up small in a big spot. Their best was needed, and they didn't come close to providing it. Their defensive shortcomings are one thing, and they were clear throughout this series, but neither was close to good enough on the offensive end Saturday night. Advertisement 'Not much to be said. We knew we kind of gave this one away,' Josh Hart said. 'You can't start 0-2, especially losing two at home. You can't give away games in the playoffs.' A dejected Jalen Brunson walks off the floor after the Knicks' 125-108 season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Brunson committed five of the Knicks' 18 turnovers, and shot 8-of-18 from the field. Towns had an empty 22 and 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby (24 points) was the Knicks' best player. When it mattered, the Knicks couldn't slow down the Pacers. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. Jalen Brunson drives to the basket during the Knicks' 125-108 season-ending Game 6 loss on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg They couldn't do it late in Game 1, and they couldn't come close in Game 4 or Game 6. After piling up 130 points Tuesday in this building, the Pacers shot a blistering 54 percent from the field, made 17-of-33 3-point attempts and had six players in double figures. Advertisement Siakam (31 points), the series MVP, was the best big man in the series. Tyrese Haliburton (21 points and 14 assists) was the best guard. 'There were stretches where we played very good defense and stretches where we didn't,' coach Tom Thibodeau said. 'Once we dig into it and look at: Was it our defense, or was it our turnovers? Probably both.' OG Anunoby wears a dejected expression after the Knicks' season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Aaron Nesmith dunks the ball during the Knicks' season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg And so, the Knicks now head into the offseason in disappointing fashion, despite reaching the conference finals for the first time in 25 years. For the second straight year, the Pacers ended their season. At least last year, the Knicks could point to injuries. They were healthy this spring. It is worth wondering if they can get past this point led by Towns and Brunson, two defensively challenged players. Advertisement 'It hurts to not bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,' Towns said. 'We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room, and we hope to put ourselves in this position again.' The Knicks were fortunate to trail by four at halftime. Their offensive stars, Brunson and Towns, shot a combined 7-of-20 from the field. Bridges and Anunoby were carrying them. Tyrese Haliburton drives to the basket during the Knicks' Game 6 season-ending loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg After halftime, it fell apart quickly. The Pacers opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run. It started with four empty trips by the Knicks, and Indiana took advantage. The lead ballooned to 13 in a hurry and grew to 15 after a Thomas Bryant 3-pointer. Advertisement 'Third quarter, I think it's been a lot of third quarters, them coming out with a lot more energy than us, playing harder than us,' Mikal Bridges said. The Knicks responded with eight points in a row. They had momentum and possession. But then Bridges lost the ball, leading to an Aaron Nesmith dunk. Soon, the lead was 14 again. Soon, the offseason had arrived. There would be no Game 7 at the Garden on Monday night. No miracle comeback after three of them this postseason. 'It sucks, man, simple as that,' Brunson said. 'It sucks.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Reggie Miller Praises Refs for Controversial Knicks-Pacers No-Call
Reggie Miller Praises Refs for Controversial Knicks-Pacers No-Call originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Knicks and Pacers tangled at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night with the Pacers looking to secure their place in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Advertisement The Pacers led midway through the fourth quarter and looked to be in control as the Knicks' defense failed them several times late in the game. The game included numerous controversial calls on both sides of the action including during the third quarter as Pacers power forward Obi Toppin raked Knicks guard Josh Hart across the face on a layup attempt. NBA officials on the scene went to the video replay as they attempted to decide whether or not Toppin should have been assessed a flagrant foul on the play. Obi Toppin during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. © Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images The sequence started with Toppin draining a three from the top of the key. He then raced down to the other end in a feverish attempt to block Hart on a drive to the basket that ended with a swipe at Hart's face that landed clean. Some Knicks fans began questioning the call on X as the dust began to settle. They wanted a flagrant foul, but NBA on TNT broadcaster Reggie Miller thought that the eventual call of a common foul was the correct one. Advertisement "I love it," Miller said alongside TNT play-by-play man Kevin Harlan. "Thank you for bringing back playoff basketball." The Pacers cruised to a 19-point fourth quarter lead with time ticking down in the fourth quarter as the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd reacted. "And the to smell it (a trip to the NBA Finals)," Miller proclaimed as the fourth quarter wound down. Related: Knicks Fans Enraged by Alleged Phantom Call Against Miles McBride Saturday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Josh Hart knows Knicks could be heading for ‘changes' after playoff run falls short
INDIANAPOLIS — Josh Hart is preparing for changes. The Knicks likely will not be the same next season, as much as Hart would like to see the same roster return. 'You're always going to hear me say, 'Run it back,' ' Hart said after the Knicks' season ended in dismal fashion with a 125-108, Game 6 loss to the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 'I think you heard me say the same thing last year with the guys we had. I'd like to do it. I feel like this team is good enough to make the next step. But it's a business. And when you don't get to where you feel like you could've or should've, changes are made.' It will be interesting to see how the Knicks proceed after reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. The entire core of Hart, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride are under contract for next season. 3 Josh Hart defends Tyrese Haliburton during the Knicks' 125-108 season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025.. Charles Wenzelberg Coach Tom Thibodeau called it a 'big offseason' coming up. Brunson said he was 'the most confident' the current group can take the next step. But Hart has seen enough in his time in the NBA to know that things can change. 3 OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are pictured on the Knicks' bench during their Game 6 loss. Charles Wenzelberg 3 Josh Hart (l.) reacts in frustration during the Knicks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg 'This is my eighth year. This is my fourth organization. I've had six or seven coaches,' Hart said. '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.' Former Knick Obi Toppin saved his best moments of the series for the final game. Toppin hammered the Knicks off the bench, scoring 18 points and adding six rebounds in 25 minutes. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. He was part of a monster effort by the Indiana reserves. They had 38 points. Forward Thomas Bryant scored 11 points and hit three 3-pointers. He logged a total of nine minutes in the previous four games. Thibodeau said he went to Delon Wright over the final four games of the series instead of Cam Payne because he wanted more size against Pacers backup guard T.J. McConnell. As for Landry Shamet, Thibodeau said he didn't play much in the Celtics series because Boston was only going eight deep and the idea was to match up Bridges and Anunoby against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Josh Hart has nightmare Game 6 to finish off miserable series
INDIANAPOLIS — Josh Hart said he was 'embarrassed' when he looked at the film of his Game 4 performance. He wasn't necessarily much better in Game 5, but it was masked by the Knicks' win. He certainly won't like reviewing his performance in the Knicks' 125-108 Game 6, season-ending loss to the Pacers on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. He'll have an entire offseason to look it over. Hart seemed to be in his own head after his struggles earlier in the series. He finished with four points on 1-for-6 shooting from the field. Josh Hart reacts during the Knicks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31. Charles Wenzelberg And his two best attributes — rebounding and ball movement — were absent. He had just six rebounds and one assist. He played a season-low 22 minutes. His indecisiveness was glaring at the end of the third quarter on back-to-back possessions. He had a two-on-one with Karl-Anthony Towns and Obi Toppin defending with under 20 seconds left in the quarter. He left his feet and looked to pass to Towns, then changed his mind midair and threw up a layup, which he missed. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. Then, he bricked a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the quarter. The Knicks could have cut their deficit to single digits. Instead, they entered the fourth quarter down 15. Hart subsequently missed the only shot he took in the fourth quarter. Josh Hart gets called for an offensive foul during the Knicks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31. Charles Wenzelberg For the series, Hart had nearly as many turnovers (13) as made field goals (14). Instead of being the Knicks' do-it-all glue guy, he was a struggle-at-all liability. After previously starting every game he played this year, Hart was removed from the starting lineup for the final four games of the series. It paid some dividends to the starting lineup, as Mitchell Robinson made an impact with the unit. But it certainly didn't help spark Hart, who had a series to forget. After providing so much good this year, his lasting image was nightmarish.
