Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs, Josh Hart, New York Knicks, NBA Cup Final, Spike Lee
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Josh Hart of the New York Knicks knows the level of player and team he is facing in Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in the NBA Cup Final.
The New York Knicks are facing off against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2025 NBA Cup Final, and Josh Hart knows what his team is going up against in Victor Wembanyama.
Speaking on NBA Today before the championship game, Hart gave praise to Wembanyama, but added that he knows it will be atough task trying to stop the7’5”center who recently returned from a calf strain.
“He can shoot the [expletive] out of the basketball,that’s what I learned,”Hart said on what he learned from the French star after their matchup on Christmas last year. “He’s multifaceted. Obviously, he garners a lot of attention.”
Hart’s Knicks team opened up as a slight underdog against the Spurs, who beat the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals, while New York knocked out the Orlando Magic to take their seat in the title game.
Josh Hart OnKnicks’ Matchup Against Spurs
In his interview with NBA Today, Hart made sure not to downplay the significant strides theSpurs’ supporting cast has made while Wembanyama was out with an injury.
“Youcan’t sleep on Castle, Harper, Fox, Vassell, soit’s going to take a full team effort, especially defensively. Play fast and play our game on the offensive side of the ball,”Hart said of the Spurs. “Those guys, extremely athletic, extremely young, and they love getting out in transition and attacking the rim…It’s going to be tough, but I thinkwe’re prepared.”
Luckily for Hart, whois expected to guard the French center for at least a chunk of the game, Wembanyama will likely be on a minutes restriction that was evident in the semifinal game. That was his first contest back after missing nearly a month, and while he played only 21 minutes, he remainedextremely impactful.
Hart has been playing some of the best basketball of his career, and at the same time, the Knicks have been thriving with him, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges, each of whom was the featured starter during their run last season.
When asked about how it would feel to win the NBA Cup Final, Hart, like Wembanyama, also said it would be a big deal, but there is still a bigger goal in mind.
“It would be huge. Obviously, whenever you have the ability to win a title or a cup or anything like that, you want to be competitive and win at the highest level,”he added. “Obviously, there are 530,000 more reasons to do it, butwe’re a competitive group, and we want to win.”
Spike Lee On The NBA Cup
Speaking of the importance of winning the NBA Cup, Knicks superfan and film producer Spike Lee feels the same excitement about his New York team being just one win away from a trophy.
In an interview with Marc Spears of Andscape, when asked if he would be attending the NBA Cup Final game, Lee answered that question with a few questions of his own.
“Is the Pope Catholic? Did the Pope go to Villanova? Do we have three players from Villanova? Did Pope Leo get a Knicks jersey from me?”he asked Spears.“All right, then.”
Lee agreed withHart’s thoughts that winning would be nice, but hoisting the LarryO’Brien trophy still remains more important. New Yorkhasn’t won the title in more than 50 years, and though they came close for their standards last year, that 1973 title feels pretty far away.
“The last time we won was the 1972-73 season. That is more than 50 years.That’s five decades,”he added. “It’s been a long, long, long, long time. Butit’s going to be a joyous day in New York City [to win a title].It’s going to happen.”
After a slow start, the Knicks havehit a groove, andalong withmaking the NBA Cup Final against Wembanyama and the Spurs, they sit second in the East with an 18-7 record. The championship game will not count on their regular-season record, but it will be a strong test for a team currently holding the fourth-highest net rating in the league.