The San Antonio Spurs punched their ticket to the NBA Finals on Saturday night, taking down the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
Victor Wembanyama led the way with 22 points and seven rebounds, bucking heavy odds to win a Game 7 on the road and end OKC’s reign. On the other side of the bracket, the New York Knicks made a loud statement, sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 130-93 blowout in Game 4.
The league’s two most dangerous teams are set for a Finals collision and the hype is already building. But leave it to Josh Hart to keep it simple.
When asked about potentially being guarded by Wembanyama in the Finals, the Knicks guard didn’t flinch. He said with a smirk, “The only unanimous Defensive Player of the Year is guarding me. That’s a good sign for me, right? That means I’m a pretty good basketball player.”
He added that regardless of the matchup, he plays however the game needs him to play — scoring, rebounding, defending, whatever it calls for.
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The sarcasm is classic Hart, but there is real substance behind it. During this playoff run, he is averaging 11.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Those numbers show he is a reliable two-way player rather than a simple role player.
He proved his utility throughout the spring, recording 17 points and 9 rebounds to eliminate Philadelphia, and later scoring 26 points against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Wembanyama presents a different challenge. The 22-year-old led the NBA with 197 blocks, beating the runner-up by a wide margin to become a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. Throughout the season, his presence forced opponents to alter their shots or avoid driving into the paint entirely. Hart knows exactly what to expect.
That is the core of this matchup. Hart framing the defensive assignment as a personal compliment shows the confident mindset that helped New York reach this stage. The Finals will determine if Wembanyama can disrupt that confidence.
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