Josh Hart did not shy away from bluntly assessing the Knicks’ performance after their 127-102 loss to the Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. “We played terrible. That was from top down. It was a terrible quarter,” Hart said about the team’s third-quarter collapse.
Despite holding a 3-1 series lead, Hart acknowledged the Celtics’ intensity as the defending champions fought to stay alive. “Obviously, they’re going to come out with unbelievable intensity and energy, no matter who’s playing,” he added.
When asked if the team could quickly move past the loss, Hart was clear about the approach: “No, you don’t flush it. You learn from it. You go watch film, you see where we messed up, and there was a lot of mess-ups in terms of communication and execution.”
On the importance of winning Game 6 at home, Hart dismissed any extra hype. “That is such a stupid question. Every game you want to win, bro. Like, there’s no added anything. Every game you want to go out there and win.”
Hart pointed to communication as a key issue during the loss. “I don’t know. I wish I could tell you. I wish I could pinpoint it because then if it did, you know, we can address it. I think that third quarter, there was a lot of frustration, and that seeped into everything we were doing.”
The Knicks’ star forward also downplayed the expectation that the series would be easy without Jayson Tatum. “You thought they were just going to lay down? No. You knew they were going to come out swinging. They came out with extreme confidence like they do every game,” Hart said.
Game 6 is set for Friday night at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will have another chance to close out the series. The Celtics, meanwhile, will look to force a decisive Game 7 on Monday in Boston.
