The New York Knicks played their 2025-26 campaign without once having to see their newest nemesis, Tyrese Haliburton, as he missed all of the year due to a torn Achilles.
Now, heading into this upcoming season, it seems the point guard is set to be a full-go, and is doing so with an amalgamation of emotions after witnessing the Knicks claim their first NBA Championship with him on the sidelines.
During a recent sit-down with the Boardroom podcast, Haliburton admitted that he "felt every emotion" imaginable seeing his Pacers' long-time rival take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy, revealing it was "weird" to see and that he's "looking forward to being back."
With his reactionary take on New York's title run, Haliburton essentially put into words the kind of feelings opposing teams and players generally endure when they see another club take home a championship over their own.
Tyrese Haliburton hints Knicks title has given him even more motivation
Some feel "happy" to see their personal friends achieve ultimate glory, while others may be "angry" with the understanding that they, themselves, failed to reach the mountaintop.
However, as Haliburton left it off, the ultimate competitors generally get an extra dose of motivation for the next year to come, as a new team, in this case the Knicks, has now turned into public enemy number one for the rest of the league, going from being the hunters among 28 other clubs to the lone team being hunted.
The All-Star guard went on record during the interview to say he "of course" thinks his Pacers could have bested the Knicks had he been healthy this season. Considering Indiana eliminated them from the postseason the year before, this admission should come as no surprise.
Now he, along with 29 other teams, will be looking to prove this to be the case on a nightly basis throughout the upcoming 2026-27 season.
Josh Hart doesn't believe Knicks are viewed as the hunted in NBA
Despite entering the season as top dogs, Josh Hart isn't convinced the Knicks are fully recognized as the team to beat in the NBA.
While speaking in the booth at this year's US Open, the beloved wing said he doesn't believe New York has a major target on their back, noting that he doesn't think "anyone is picking us to win again."
Frankly, there seems to be a great deal of truth to this latter claim, as the consensus belief among the oddsmakers since New York won it all back in June has been that the OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are seen as far more likely to take home the 2027 title than the Knicks.
Fortunately, Hart suggested that he and his teammates are using this "as fuel" heading into their title defense tour, and stressed that, despite what is generally the case for reigning champions, he still views the Knicks as "the hunters."
Add us as a preferred source on Google