Knicks' Josh Hart Makes Spurs Admission On Friday
The New York Knicks won their first championship in 53 years on Saturday, and one of the many storylines is the contributions from guard Josh Hart. The 31-year-old averaged 10.4 points on 43.1% shooting (32.6% 3-point) with 8.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals over 32.3 minutes (19 games) in the playoffs.
Hart's versatility helped make the Knicks nearly unstoppable. For example, he scored 26 points (10-21 FG, 5-11 3-point) with four rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one turnover across 33 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which New York won 109-93. After that, the Maryland native amassed a game-high 15 rebounds with six assists, four steals, one block and no turnovers over 27 minutes in a 105-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Hart was transparent about the Spurs during an episode of his "Roomates Show" podcast with Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson on Friday.
The 2017 first-round pick said that New York knew San Antonio was "food" when members of the latter squad cried and got emotional after eliminating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. In this context, "food" is slang for a lesser opponent.
Josh Hart admits that when they saw the Spurs emotional and crying after the WCF that they were food. @Roommates__Show
— Kazeem Famuyide (@Kazeem) June 19, 2026
Although it's typical for players to celebrate after winning a playoff series, many NBA fans on social media thought that the Spurs celebrated like they won the title. That especially applied to superstar big man Victor Wembanyama, who went viral for his reaction when San Antonio beat Oklahoma City 111-103 in Game 7.
The Spurs are the second-youngest team to ever reach the finals, and their lack of experience showed after eliminating the defending champions. Hart's comment spoke to the veteran mentality of not getting too high or too low until the squad wins it all.
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Lmao imagine crying for just sending Chet home
— JBond (@jbondwagon) June 20, 2026
That was Wemby's NBA championship pic.twitter.com/D9WKoccwt9
Knicks' Experience Was Key Factor vs. Spurs
San Antonio doesn't have a talent deficit compared to New York, as the roster features a 2026 NBA MVP finalist in Wembanyama, the 2025 Rookie of the Year in guard Stephon Castle, and the 2025 No. 2 overall pick in guard Dylan Harper. However, the Knicks performed better at the end of games, which is a sign of experience.
New York's entire playoff rotation had veterans, and most of them had been on at least one playoff run with the team before. The only new additions were bench guards Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado.
The Knicks now have to decide which free agents it wants to keep, as Clarkson, center Mitchell Robinson, guard Landry Shamet and others are no longer under contract. Alvarado also has a $4.5 million player option.
Related: Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks' Championship Mindset
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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 6:01 PM.