Josh Hart offered a blunt assessment following the New York Knicks’ 138-135 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The forward didn’t shy away from the team’s failure to close out the game, saying, “We didn’t close the game out. Feel like our intensity dropped. We started playing slower, playing more into their hands.”
New York led by 14 points with under three minutes to play, but Aaron Nesmith’s three-point barrage and Tyrese Haliburton’s improbable buzzer-beater erased the gap.
Hart pointed to a lack of defensive edge and urgency in the closing minutes: “We didn’t run through that finish line. I feel like defensively… we let off the gas. The intensity, the physicality wasn’t there.”
Despite shooting 51.1% from the field and getting 43 points from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks were unable to contain Indiana’s late push.
Hart acknowledged the mental toll of the loss, particularly as the Pacers surged in the final seconds: “It was just—it was disappointing. We gave them open shots. Even in overtime, we were up one, we gave up offensive—got a dunk.”
Andrew Nembhard’s go-ahead layup in overtime ultimately sealed the win for Indiana, capping a historic Knicks collapse.
Hart took personal accountability for one defensive lapse in extra time: “I just fell asleep defensively. And Nembhard got a layup.”
The Knicks had previously been part of a perfect record — NBA teams were 994-0 when leading by 14 or more points in the final 2:45 since 1997-98 — until Wednesday.
Asked about the emotional recovery, Hart responded, “Obviously, like I said, it’s disappointing. But we didn’t think it was going to be an easy series… we got to go out there, watch the film tomorrow, get better.”
Indiana’s Nesmith hit five fourth-quarter threes, and Hart admitted the defense broke down at key moments: “Some of them was just lack of communication. He’s been shooting the ball well for the whole playoffs, and he made big shots.”
On the play where Obi Toppin got a dunk during overtime, Hart confirmed the Knicks were trying to foul: “Yeah, we tried to foul. Not sure totally what happened… and they got an open dunk.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
