Josh Hart has embraced the pressure and energy surrounding the NBA Finals as the New York Knicks return home for Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs. The veteran wing addressed the media on Sunday, offering a detailed look at mindset, preparation, and the challenges of maintaining focus in New York’s intense basketball environment.
Hart made it clear that the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden is expected to be unlike anything the series has seen so far. “I mean, the Garden’s going to be rocking. Obviously, in this city, we love our Knicks. So, they’re going to come out, show love, support, and the energy is going to be electric,” he said.
Despite the buzz around the team, Hart stressed that staying locked in requires separation from the outside noise. “To be honest, I’m not doing too much walking around the city right now. It’s cool. But for me, I try to be as far removed from that as possible just mentally,” he said.
He expanded on why that approach matters during a Finals run, especially in New York’s media-heavy environment. “Because if you walk around a city or you go to different places and people are singing your praises and doing all that, it’s very easy to get complacent,” Hart added. “You want to make sure you’re as focused and locked in on the goal at hand.”
The Knicks guard also pointed to the importance of consistency in approach regardless of external attention. “So, for me personally, I try to stay as far away from that as possible,” he said. “Even if I go to dinner, I’m going to try to go into a private room or something so I don’t have to be around that because you want to make sure you’re as focused and locked in on the goal at hand.”
Hart reflected on the team’s internal culture and the way it has handled momentum throughout the playoffs. “I think that the most important thing is just to stay even no matter what it is because especially in this city it’s tough,” he said. “You hear praises, you get complacent, and then you go down and then you start hearing the talk and the chatter if you lose one, two, three games.”
He also emphasized the foundation built before the season began. “That started well in Abu Dhabi or right before Abu Dhabi where we talk about what our goals are, what our staples are, and what the habits we’re trying to build are,” Hart said. “We’re in a very good mindset of doing our habits, playing our brand of basketball, and not really worrying about the outside noise.”
On Game 3 specifically, Hart pointed to discipline as the deciding factor after reviewing the team’s Game 2 fourth-quarter execution. “Execution for sure in the fourth quarter,” he said. “Transition defense wasn’t as crisp as it was the first three quarters.”
He added that the standard remains high despite the lead. “We got to make sure we’re locked in and executing in that regard,” Hart said. “We were the best fourth quarter team in the league.”
Hart also spoke on the broader identity of the franchise and what defines Knicks basketball in high-pressure moments. “Toughness, grit, physicality, energy, clutch plays,” he said. “That’s something that we want to do. We want to come out with energy.”
