New York Knicks governor James Dolan made it clear in January he expects the team to make the NBA Finals, and Josh Hart got the chance to joke about those comments with the team one win away from accomplishing that goal thanks to a 3-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Better get to the Finals or we’re going to get traded,” Hart said.
He also explained the remarks don’t add pressure “because that’s the goal that we all have. Obviously, it hits a little bit different when the big dog says it.”
Dolan made those comments during an appearance on the New York station WFAN (h/t ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill) and said, “I’d say we want to get to the Finals and we should win the Finals. This is sports; anything can happen. Getting to the Finals, we absolutely have to do. Winning the Finals, we should do.”
It was a lofty goal, especially for a franchise that hasn’t been to the NBA Finals since 1999 and hasn’t won a championship since 1973.
New York came close last season with an Eastern Conference Finals appearance but lost to the Indiana Pacers one step short of the league’s biggest stage. It seems like it is going to take that step this time around, though, as it has defeated the Cavaliers by a combined 29 points during the last two games.
Game 1 was far more dramatic with the Knicks overcoming a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter before eventually winning in overtime. The Cavaliers have not been able to recover from that loss, and Jalen Brunson and Co. now have a chance to close out the series in Monday’s Game 4.
If they do, that will also give them the chance for plenty of rest and recovery since the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs is tied at two games apiece and could end up going a full seven games.
The NBA Finals start June 3, meaning a win on Monday would give the Knicks more than a full week of recovery time while their eventual opponent is battling in a back-and-forth matchup against another elite team.
While being the more-rested team would also elevate expectations in those NBA Finals, Dolan already did that with his January comments.
