The Knicks are done with the championship celebrations.
They don’t need — or want — more pats on the back. They’ve turned the page.
“This year was amazing. But I think all of us, the thing that makes us special is right now we’re looking forward,” Josh Hart, speaking at David Yurman’s “Crafting a Legacy” event in Manhattan on Thursday night, said when asked about the Knicks’ chances to repeat as champions.
“I think all of us are kind of tired of hearing the congratulations, and we’re ready to get to work,” the Knicks veteran said. “We’re ready to put the work in, grow, build and see where we are at the end of the year.”
The NBA has had eight different champions the past eight years, with the league fully engulfed in an era of parity.
The Knicks will have to buck that trend.
But they return nearly their entire core, with Mitchell Robinson being the only notable departure.
Their quest to repeat will face the challenge of a reshaped Eastern Conference, with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown now with the 76ers, Giannis Antetokounmpo now with the Heat, Paul George joining a fully healthy Jayson Tatum on the Celtics and Tyrese Haliburton back in action for the Pacers.
Just under two weeks away from the start of training camp, the Knicks have left their championship in the past and have turned their focus to that challenge.
Hart was joined by teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson, ex-Knick Carmelo Anthony and Spike Lee at Thursday’s event. He also spoke about his personal legacy.
“It’s really just what you pass down to the next generation,” Hart said. “For me, it’s what I pass down to my kids. And it takes a long time to build it. It doesn’t come overnight.”
