Josh Hart Says the Spurs’ Celebration After Beating OKC Told Him They Were Done

Josh Hart might have been the most relaxed guy in the Knicks locker room during the NBA Finals. That’s not just hindsight talking.

The Knicks guard appeared on a live episode of ‘The Roommates Show’ this week and dropped a pretty honest take on when he knew New York would take down San Antonio. According to Hart, it happened before the Finals even started.

“They beat OKC and for a young team, I feel like that was a mountaintop for them,” Hart said. “You see that reaction from them. They think they’re gonna win it, they think it’s over.”

That reaction Hart is talking about was the Spurs celebrating like they’d already won the championship after closing out the Western Conference Finals. For a veteran like Hart, that kind of emotional peak right before a Finals matchup with a Knicks team that had been there before was basically a flashing neon sign.

And honestly, the series played out exactly that way.

The Knicks took down the Spurs in five games, their first title since 1973. But it wasn’t a clean beatdown. New York trailed by double digits in multiple games. They just never panicked. San Antonio couldn’t close, and the Knicks kept chipping away until they seized control. Experience told, every time.

Hart’s numbers tell a big part of the story

Hart wasn’t just talking. The guy averaged 10.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals during the playoff run. His shooting splits were 43.1 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from three and 60.6 percent from the line. Not pretty from deep, but he did everything else. Rebounds, defense, playmaking — the kind of stat line that doesn’t jump off the page but wins series.

The Knicks got Hart in a multi-team trade back in the 2021-22 season. He signed a four-year extension in 2023, so he’s locked in through at least the 2026-27 season. That deal is looking like a steal right now.

Hart was the 30th overall pick in the 2017 draft. He’s never been the biggest name on his own team, but he’s been on the floor for every big moment this postseason. That’s not a coincidence.

The Spurs will be back. They’re young and talented. But Hart’s point — that they treated the conference finals win like the end goal — is hard to argue with after watching them get outplayed in the Finals by a Knicks team that knew it was just step one.