Knicks coach downplays Hart's ankle issues
Coach Mike Brown says the forward's recurring right ankle soreness is minor as he sits out again.
By Marco Kapoor ·
Kenny Atkinson is still fielding questions about a comment he made during the 2026 Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers coach described a loss to the Knicks as an analytical victory for his team, a remark that has become a recurring topic of discussion among players and media.
Atkinson said on Sunday that he views the incident as a professional lesson. He noted that the question he was answering asked if Cleveland had any hope of becoming the first NBA team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit. He felt the context of that prompt was overlooked when his response was clipped for broadcast.
"When you take the context of the question, I'm not sure that was taken into account, that's a little bit of a lesson for me, you can just take a sound bite," Atkinson said. He added that he was being honest about the Knicks' dominance in the series, noting that New York was the better team in most respects.
The Knicks are currently dealing with their own availability questions. Josh Hart missed his second consecutive game on Sunday due to right ankle soreness. He practiced with the team the previous day in New York, but the organization has not set a timetable for his return.
Coach Mike Brown expressed no long-term concern about the injury. He attributed Hart's extra rest time to the team's current schedule, which includes only one game in a five-day span. "It's nothing major," Brown said. "He did go through some of practice [Friday]. I set him out of some contact, so we just want to take advantage where we are schedule-wise."
New York defeated the Cavaliers 109-97 on Sunday. Andre Drummond was named the team's defensive player of the day. The center recorded eight rebounds, two steals, and one block in 14 minutes. The Knicks held a 26-8 edge in second-chance points over the host team.
Hart has missed eight games this season with a right ankle injury. He started the first seven games of the campaign before missing Monday's win against the Nets. He is currently averaging 8.6 points per game, a personal low in eight years. Landry Shamet started in Hart's place on Sunday and scored nine points.
