New York Knicks guard Josh Hart gave a hilarious “Oscars” take after receiving a $2,000 fine for flopping against the Boston Celtics. This decision comes on the heels of New York's tough 118-105 loss to its Eastern Conference rival. While many Knicks players struggled to get going against the defending champs, Hart had a very good performance on Sunday after returning from a lingering knee issue.
Josh Hart was one of the few Knicks players who came out ready to play against the Celtics
As much as now is not a funny time to be a Knicks fan, Josh Hart has every right to joke as much as he wants. Because when it's time to go and give 100%, New York's workhorse always shows up. Especially this year. Hart is having the best season of his life this season, averaging 14.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.
In a season where either Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby was expected to take the reigns as New York's third-best player, the starting shooting guard has instead taken on that mantle. There's a reason why Hart was generating All-Star buzz heading into the midseason break. He is an indispensable player on the Knicks' roster and has elevated the franchise to heights it hasn't seen in a while.
However, it's safe to say this organization is trying to figure out what exactly that ceiling is. The Knicks came into the 2024-2025 season with hype that they could make their first Conference Finals appearance since the 2000 playoffs. The additions of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns even had fans believing that this group had a chance to break the franchise's over 50-year championship drought.
To this point, New York is off to one of its best starts this century. However, the concern has been how this group has competed against the elite teams in the NBA. And it's not so much that the Knicks are a combined 0-7 against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Oklahoma City Thunder. It's the fact that for five out of these seven contests, New York doesn't even look like it belongs on the same floor as these squads.
While last year's Knicks did not have the ceiling this year's does, that team had a resilience that last year's needs to emulate. The 2023-24 Knicks lost plenty of games, but they always seemed to fight and go out on their shield.
To this point, this collection of talent has, on several occasions, put up little resistance or fight against elite teams. And that's the concern with this group right now. However, there's still plenty of time, and fans won't really care about these recent losses if the Knicks show a new gear in the postseason. And if there is a turnaround, Josh Hart will definitely be one of the players at the forefront of it.
