Josh Hart Reacts to Knicks' First Round Matchup

With the New York Knicks' latest loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers paired with an Indiana Pacers loss on Friday night against the Orlando Magic, the Knicks now officially have their first-round matchup locked in for later this month: they'll be tasked with facing one of this year's surprise stories in the sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons.

The Knicks, while proven to be an effective, 50-win team across the year, which was good enough to land home court advantage in round one, know that their matchup soon to come is far from a shoo-in. Detroit has been a proven force across the stretch of this season as a tough, physical team, and look to be a tough out in their first playoff appearance since 2019.

With that in mind, it's clear the Knicks know what this Detroit team is capable of, and won't be taking it likely.

Knicks wing Josh Hart spoke about the Knicks' newly uncovered playoff matchup following their loss against Cleveland, laying down a bit of his initial expectations.

"It's a good, young team," Hart said. "We know the type of brand of basketball that they play, so we've got to go out there and not just match their physicality, but we've got to exceed it. We've got one more game, Brooklyn, obviously Sunday. So, we've got to focus on that, but we've got a week to prepare for them."