New York Knicks star Josh Hart gave a shoutout to New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger after his grand slam against the New York Mets. It's been a heck of a sports weekend for the Empire State. The Knicks made their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000 on Friday, and the Subway Series took place between two legitimate World Series contenders over the past three days.

Hart, who has thrown out the first pitch for the Bronx Bombers before, excitedly reacted to Bellinger's homer over social media, which put the Yankees up 8-2. And he got a reaction from the franchise's Twitter page to his post.

Josh Hart will be even more critical in the Knicks' series against the Indiana Pacers

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts during the second quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) watches as center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates after making a three point basket to clinch a win against the Toronto Raptors near the end of the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena.
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New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against Boston Celtics forward Torrey Craig (12) during the fourth quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.
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The Knicks shocked the world against the Boston Celtics. So many pundits believed New York did not stand a chance against the defending champs. And some of the reasons for these takes made sense since the Knicks hadn't shown that extra gear to compete with the elite of the NBA during the regular season. But the playoffs are a completely different animal, and this squad was built for this time of the year. Regardless of what happened during the regular season, this group put itself in a position where the season's success would be determined by what it did in the playoffs.

Knicks subsequently lived up to the moment and these hefty expectations. What's especially noteworthy is the extra gear this team has shown on defense in the postseason. Mikal Bridges has been the elite point-of-attack defender New York traded for this past offseason, while OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson have been absolute menaces on this side of the court. Jalen Brunson has also held up well, especially while the Celtics hunted him. New York is going to need to be just as disciplined, if not more so, against an Indiana Pacers team that relentlessly attacks mismatches.

Overall, sometimes the best way to temper an explosive offense is to exhaust an opponent on defense. That is exactly what Josh Hart must do when he is likely Tyrese Haliburton's defensive assignment. Hart must be relentless, not letting the Pacers' star point guard rest on defense and especially on the offensive glass.

Overall, Indiana will try to turn this series into a track meet to wear down a thinner New York roster. It was vital that the Knicks finished off their series with the Celtics on Friday to ensure they had this amount of rest and prep time for their new opponents. New York is looking for revenge for last season's elimination in the second round. Hart will need his best series this postseason for the Knicks to become Eastern Conference champions.