Josh Hart Says It's 'Idiotic' to Compare Knicks to Last Year's Team After Trades
Josh Hart isn't living in the past, and he had a message for those fans who still are as the 2025 NBA postseason continues.
"If you continue to look back and compare yourself to years prior and teams prior, you lose the perspective of what you have," the New York Knicks guard said ahead of Sunday's game against the Detroit Pistons, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
"And this team—we don't care about the toughness, because we feel like we have the toughness, but we also feel like we have the offensive firepower to go out there and put up 140 points. So it doesn't really affect us. I just think it's idiotic to compare us to the past, because we're the New York Knicks of 2024-25. And it's either you get behind us or you don't. And if you're not, stay on that side when we have success."
Last season's Knicks went 50-32 and reached the second round of the playoffs despite a number of injuries. Bondy explained that team was "in many ways, the embodiment of that glorified '90s Knicks identity" with toughness and overachievement.
Yet New York made a number of changes since then and no longer has players such as Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein. It added pieces such as Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, which only elevated expectations for 2024-25.
While it improved by just a single game during the regular season on the way to a 51-31 record, it still has the opportunity to make a deeper playoff run.
"Comparisons are the thief of joy," Hart said. "We're going to compare ourselves to last year, for what? We don't got Donte, we don't got [Isaiah Hartenstein], we don't got [Julius Randle]. … We don't have any of those guys. And now we got a totally different group and a totally different personality."
The city may not have completely fallen in love with this season's team like it did with the 2023-24 group, but that can quickly change in the postseason. And New York leads its first-round series against Detroit 2-1 with the opportunity to seize full control with another win on the road in Sunday's Game 4.
That could set up a second-round showdown with the reigning-champion Boston Celtics.
And there is no faster way for a New York team to earn the love of its city than with a postseason victory over a team from Boston.
NBA Scout Says Jalen Brunson's Foul Hunting and Play Style Has 'Caught Up' with Knicks
Through the first week of the NBA playoffs, one thing that has stood out is the lack of ball movement from the New York Knicks in their series with the Detroit Pistons.
Speaking to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, one scout for a Western Conference team thinks that Jalen Brunson's style of play has "caught up" with the Knicks in the playoffs:
"Jalen foul hunting and holding the ball has really caught up with them. There's only so much you can do. That's a recipe to win a lot of regular-season games, but it's a huge load to carry on a nightly basis for playoff-heavy minutes when defenses have adjusted and loaded up. KAT and [OG Anunoby] have to play a role, and it's hard when [Brunson] has the ball in his hands so much of the time."
It does seem like something the Knicks realized after the first two games because things looked much smoother in Game 3 on Thursday night. They had 22 assists on 40 made field goals in 118-116 win after having just 15 on 34 made field goals in their Game 2 loss.
More important than just the assist total was getting Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby involved. Towns made nearly as many shots in Game 3 (10) as he took in all of Game 2 (11). Anunoby had 22 points and went 3-of-8 from three in 43 minutes.
Brunson's assist totals in the series have been in line with what he was doing in the regular season. He's averaging 8.0 assists per contest in three games against the Pistons, but the amount of whistles he's drawn has been the bigger story.
No one will argue that Brunson should be the main driving force of offense for the Knicks, but a big part of the reason they traded for Towns was to open things up so he wouldn't have to shoulder as much of the burden.
One reason the Knicks lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Indiana Pacers last year was because of the amount of injuries they suffered in the playoffs. Brunson dealt with a foot injury early in the series, then fractured his hand in Game 7.
Before the injuries took their toll on Brunson's body, he had four straight games with at least 40 points. It was close to five straight 40-point games because he had 39 in Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
If the Knicks can continue to build on what worked for them in Game 3 on Thursday night, they should be able to make it past a Pistons team that can't match their talent.
Knicks' Jalen Brunson Says He's 'Pretty Close' to 100% Before Playoffs After Injury
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson said he's "pretty close" to feeling 100 percent after an ankle sprain sidelined him for a month toward the end of the regular season.
In the newest episode of the Roommates Show, Brunson said that "you're never 100 percent" at this point but that he's feeling good all things considered.
The two-time All-Star returned to the court in a 112-98 win over the Phoenix Suns on April 6 and appeared in New York's next three games. He looked a little rusty, though, averaging 21 points on 43.5 percent shooting along with 5.8 steals to 2.8 turnovers.
Thanks to the additions of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, the Knicks shouldn't need to lean on Brunson to the same degree they did in the 2024 playoffs. He had a 36.4 percent usage rate and averaged 26.2 shots per game as New York lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals, per Basketball Reference.
Team president Leon Rose understood Brunson, who performed at an MVP-type level in 2023-24, needed some support.
The 6'2" guard is still integral toward the franchise improving on last season's finish and reaching the conference finals or further. He was the Knicks' leader in points (26.0) and assists (7.3) during the regular season.
The fact Brunson had some game action to get his sharpness back along with another week of rest was great toward getting him back to his bet in time for the most important stretch of the year.
Thibodeau Says It 'Doesn't Mean Anything' Knicks Are Odds-On Favorite vs. Pistons
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't want his players to "get drunk with emotion or with praise" ahead of their NBA playoff series against the Detroit Pistons.
The third-seeded Knicks are the heavy favorites in the first-round. Thibodeau said that "doesn't mean anything" in actually deciding the series.
New York finished seven games better than Detroit in the standings, and it has a clear edge in experience over a young Pistons squad that's untested together in the postseason.
The last time the franchise made it this far, it was leaning on Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson.
But Detroit went 3-1 against the Knicks in the regular season, most recently earning a 115-106 win at home on April 10. Cade Cunningham put up 36 points and eight assists in the victory, while Jalen Duren had a double-double (18 points and 13 rebounds).
In general, the NBA's quest for more parity is achieving its aim. Beyond the fact a repeat champion hasn't happened since 2018, the last two playoffs produced some surprising upsets.
The eighth-seeded Miami Heat took down the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round en route to the NBA Finals, while the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers got to the Western Conference Finals. Last year saw the Indiana Pacers, the No. 6 seed, knock off the Bucks and then outlast the Knicks in seven games to make an underdog run to the conference finals.
New York ranked 18th in net rating (plus-0.3) after the All-Star break, per NBA.com, and not all of that was down to Jalen Brunson's ankle sprain. The Knicks can't afford to lose focus in the opening round or this will be a brief playoff stay.
Carmelo Anthony 'Would Love to See' Knicks Retire No. 7 Jersey After Hall of Fame Nod
Carmelo Anthony said he “would love to see” his No. 7 jersey retired by the New York Knicks after being selected as a member of the 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame class.
"Why not? … I would love to see that," Anthony told reporters during the Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2025 inductee news conference. "For me, it's like, 'Why wait?' If you got to think about it, then cool — just let it be."
The 10-time NBA All-Star spent seven seasons with the Knicks from 2010 to 2017.
His tenure in New York was his second longest among the six NBA teams he played for, behind Denver, where he was drafted No. 3 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft.
During the 2012-13 season with the Knicks, he led the league in scoring with 28.7 points per game while adding 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He shot 45 percent from the field.
Anthony, who will also be recognized as a member of the 2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team as part of the 2025 class, said he is grateful for all that is happening whether he sees his No. 7 retired or not.
“I don’t know man, to be honest with you,” Anthony continued. “A lot of surprises are happening right now around me, so I’m trying to stay in the moment, and if that’s one of the surprises, then I would be ecstatic about that. I would love to see that jersey hung up.”
If Anthony has his jersey retired in New York, he would join eight other Knicks, including Walt Frazier, Dick Barnett and Willis Reed, and would be the first since Patrick Ewing had his number retired in 2003.
There is also talk around Anthony’s No. 15 Denver Nuggets jersey being retired, despite the number currently belonging to three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
When asked who deserves to have their number retired, Anthony had the perfect response.
"F--- it, put both up lol," he wrote on social media." Two different type of players. No comparisons only respect," Anthony continued. "Put his number up there. It should never be a comparison. We don't even have the same play style. I had my time and era, he had his."
Despite never capturing an elusive championship ring over his 19-year career, Anthony is one of just seven Knicks players with at least 10,000 points for the franchise and remains a fan favorite in New York.
Knicks' OG Anunoby Says He 'Should Win' 2025 NBA DPOY, 'I've Always Felt That Way'
New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby believes that he's worthy of 2025 Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
"I think I should be on First Team All-Defense. I think I should win Defensive Player of the Year,” Anunoby said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “I’ve always felt that way."
The 27-year-old was previously named to the All-Defensive second team during his 2022-23 campaign with the Toronto Raptors and also finished No. 7 in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
While Anunoby hasn't been named to an All-Defensive team since, he's still proven himself as one of the NBA's most versatile defenders. In 70 starts with the Knicks this season, he's averaging 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.
Anunoby's activity on defense is also crucial for New York, as his average of 3.2 deflections per game ranks No. 13 among all players to appear in at least 40 games this season (via NBA.com).
He's also contesting 3.4 three-pointers per game, the fifth-highest mark in the association.
While Anunoby could earn a spot on an All-Defensive team, it may be difficult for him to win Defensive Player of the Year on a Knicks squad that struggled defensively throughout the beginning of the season. New York still only ranks No. 13 in defensive rating (via NBA.com).
In the meantime, Anunoby is in the midst of one of the best offensive stretches of his career. Over his past 15 appearances, he's averaging 22.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 46.6/38.5/86.8 shooting splits.
Anunoby will look to strengthen his Defensive Player of the Year case over the Knicks' final six games of the regular season.
Jalen Brunson 'Doing Everything I Can' to Return From Injury amid Knicks Playoff Push
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson provided an update on his recovery from an ankle sprain.
"Little recap, I've been back here, back east, since the LA game," Brunson said on Thursday's Roommates Show podcast (1:29 mark). "Feeling better. Walking, I'm out of the boot."
"Just doing everything I can to get back 100 percent," he added.
Brunson suffered a right ankle sprain in overtime of the Knicks' 113-109 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6.
New York owns a modest 5-5 record in the 10 games that the star point guard has missed since, but offensive struggles have been rampant without him. The Knicks' 113.7 offensive rating over their past 10 contests ranks No. 19 among all teams, via NBA.com.
On Saturday, the team announced that Brunson was doing controlled court work and would provide an update on his status in "approximately one week."
SNY's Ian Begley reported Monday that the 28-year-old's rehab was "progressing faster than initially anticipated" and there was "no thought of him missing the rest of the regular season."
The Knicks, who currently sit at No. 3 in the Eastern Conference standings with a 45-27 record, have 10 regular-season contests remaining.
Brunson was in the midst of another efficient season prior to the injury, averaging 26.3 points and a career-high 7.4 assists per game on 49.0/38.4/82.5 shooting splits.
As New York attempts to enter the playoffs on a high note, Brunson has continued to navigate through the recovery from his ankle sprain.