May 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) and guard Josh Hart (3) celebrate after defeating the Detroit Pistons during game six of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Knicks Stars Open Up About Balancing Joy of Playoffs

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated May 21, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Like Bon Jovi before them, the New York Knicks are only halfway there.

No matter what happens in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Indiana Pacers, this year is a historic campaign for the Knicks, who are among the NBA's final four for the first time in a quarter-century. Nonetheless, the prospect of adding more, namely the franchise's first championship banner since 1973, is on the table, albeit with only half of the 16 wins necessary for such a raising earned.

Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart reflected on the landmark in a special showing of their famed "Roommates Show" web series that recapped their monumental upset series win over the Boston Celtics.

"The fans are going to be the fans. They can enjoy it, they can do whatever they want besides burn the city down ... they're allowed to enjoy it, it's for them," Brunson said when co-host Matt Hillman asked him about "balancing joy" of the postseason to date. "But I think, as players, we can be happy about getting over a hump that we didn't really get [over] in the past two years. Maybe [after beating Boston], the next day, you feel good about yourself but then you got to turn the page."

"There's a lot more basketball to be played ... It's certainly not over, not even close."

The Knicks have set several historical precedents this time around: the 119-81 beatdown of Boston in Friday night's conference semifinal clincher at Madison Square Garden, for example, offered the largest margin of victory in Knicks postseason history and allowed the Knicks to win an advancement game in front of a friendly crowd.

Hart, however, there won't be any celebrations of the accomplishments up to this point, at least for the time being.

"When you start celebrating those successes in the moment is when you start to lose sight of the bigger goal," Hart said, seeking to create even larger celebrations for the Knicks' loyal if not demonstrative fanbase. "We want our fans to have as much fun as they possibly can, responsible fun ... For us, it's just onto the next series, onto the next moment. I think we're all doing a good job because we're not satisfied with it."

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: