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The side conversations that Spike Lee and Timothèe Chalamet have at New York Knicks games have finally been revealed, and honestly, it's on theme.
In an interview with Vulture, Spike shared that he and the Oscar-nominated actor talk about the Knicks. The Oscar-winning director and Chalamet are die-hard Knicks fans, so it's not too surprising that talking about the NBA team is all they chat about. Chalamet and Spike were at the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where the Knicks were victorious over the Boston Celtics. The Knicks will now go on to play the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals for a chance to play the Western Conference champs in the NBA Finals.
What Have Knicks Players Said About The Eastern Conference Finals?
Last year, the Pacers and the Knicks faced off in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Pacers won 4-3 and went on to face the Celtics in the NBA Finals, with Boston winning 4-0. The loss against the Pacers still is frustrating to Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
“I mean, it still kind of bothers me,” Brunson said on Monday. “Obviously it was a missed opportunity last year playing them at home in Game 7, regardless of who we had out there.”
The Knicks had several key players hurt last year. Brunson had a left hand fracture, Mitchell Robinson had an ankle injury, OG Anunoby had a strained hamstring, Josh Hart suffered an abdominal strain and hip injury, and Julius Randle missed the entire semifinals due to an injury. However, with the Knicks now being healthy and the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, who were not on the team last season, they now just have to prepare for their next steps.
“It’s just a totally different team, totally different situation, totally different round of the playoffs,” Hart said. “We just gotta make sure we’re ready.”
Brunson and Hart are ready to do whatever it takes to make it to the NBA Finals. While it was a goal to beat the Celtics, Hart explains it wasn't “everything.”
“We’ve been saying all year: Not everything was about beating the Boston Celtics,” Hart said. “They were this, they were that. It was always being who we are. Being the best we can be. Because when you’re so focused on beating Boston or beating a certain opponent, when you do beat them, then you feel like you’re on top of the mountain and then you have to try to figure out what to do next. For us, it never was that.”
Brunson also shared the same ideology as Hart.
“For us, we know there’s a long way to go and so we don’t really look at it as an accomplishment,” Brunson said. “It’s just the next step. We’re grateful, we’re thankful and we know there’s a long way to go.”
The Knicks and Pacers Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals begin on Wednesday. The last time the Knicks were in the Eastern Conference Finals was in 2000 against the Pacers. The Knicks have not won the NBA Finals since 1973. The Pacers have never won a championship title.
