The New York Knicks came up short of reaching the NBA Finals last season when they lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. After things went well against the Boston Celtics, everything that could have gone wrong did against Indiana.
Knicks’ Josh Hart deflects blame away from Karl-Anthony Towns for ECF loss
Following the series, a lot of the blame went towards Karl-Anthony Towns. He struggled offensively throughout most of the series, and his interior defense was only worse.
Knicks guard Josh Hart said that he should be the one absorbing the blame for the loss, and not Towns.
“I mean, hey, I think the only one who should get blamed [for the Knicks’ struggles against Indiana] is me. I think I played well in Detroit, played well in Boston. Indiana, I just didn’t have nothing left. I thought [Karl-Anthony Towns] played good. I thought the team played well. I think I didn’t have enough to give. I think, honestly, I should get the brunt of that more than KAT or anyone else. They played hard. They did what they were supposed to do. If they’re blaming him, I think it’s stupidity,” Hart said (h/t Posting and Toasting).
Hart backed up his team
Hart was another player who struggled throughout the series. While he had some strong moments, he wasn’t willing to score nearly enough, and he struggled badly with turnovers.
Hart committed five turnovers in a crucial Game 4 loss to Indiana, and scored just four points in the deciding Game 6. It was clear that fatigue began to settle in after leading the league in minutes per game during the regular season.
Hart’s words are a display of accountability, and it’s a good sign to see him back up his team. The Knicks have bigger goals to reach this season, so now is the opportunity to correct what went wrong last year and reach the goals that they have set for this year.
New York will be back on the court in less than two days, as they will begin their preseason on Thursday in Abu Dhabi against the Philadelphia 76ers.