The Indiana Pacers once again find themselves matched up with the New York Knicks. Last season, the two teams matched up in the second round, with the Pacers taking the series in seven games. This year's edition has the matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.
Neither franchise has made the finals in 25 years. The Knicks last did so in 1999, while the Pacers last did so in 2000.
The two franchises have one of the most storied rivalries in the sport, and after a heated series last year and now a rematch this year, that rivalry has been ignited once more in a new age.
In fact, this rivalry even made it to WWE, with stars Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson making an appearance on Friday Night Smackdown after their playoff matchup.
In a press conference ahead of Wednesday's game one, Hart commented on last year's WWE appearance, stating, "WWE writes a great script. There's gonna be a lot of guys that's going to be trying to get on WWE this summer."
That wasn't all Hart had to say, as he was asked about last year's series, specifically if the series is about revenge, or if it's just another series.
"Another year, another series," Hart said. "Y'all can write whatever y'all want. They're going to try to make it into a revenge thing or something like that. Half the team didn't play last year, they were hurt. Ju (Julius Randle), Donte (DiVincenzo), they're not here anymore. Zay's (Isaiah Hartenstein) not here anymore. We've got KAT, Kal (Mikal Bridges). OG (Anunoby) was hurt. It's a totally different team, totally different situation, totally different round of the playoffs."
Hart continued on, talking about the matchup itself.
"We've got to make sure we're ready. That's an extremely talented team whose offense is clicking on all cylinders right now. Nothing about revenge or anything, it's just about the next series."
Hart averaged 12.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in the series last year. His success continued on against the Pacers this season, where he averaged 22.0 points. 10.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, shooting 62.8 percent from the field in the three regular-season matchups between the two teams.