Josh Hart gives harsh response to Joel Embiid’s comments about series

Mar 11, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Hart is giving Joel Embiid a harsh dose of reality.

The Philadelphia 76ers star Embiid made some curious comments after the team’s loss in Game 2 to the New York Knicks earlier this week. Embiid said that the 76ers should have been up 2-0 based on the way they had been playing. He then added that the 76ers would still win the series.

Embiid: “We should be 2-0. We’re good. We’re going to win this series.” pic.twitter.com/yM6L909cC8

— PHLY Sixers (@PHLY_Sixers) April 23, 2024

Hart was asked about Embiid’s comments before Game 3 on Thursday and delivered a harsh response.

“I don’t care, they’re not,” said Hart, per SportsNet New York. “We’re up 2-0. When the NBA starts basing the series on what we think, then I would care a little bit more. We’re up 2-0, right now we’re just focused on trying to get our third one.”

The 76ers did very nearly take Game 2 from the Knicks before they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with a horrible choke job in the final seconds. Thus, Embiid is right that the series is much closer than the current 2-0 tally would suggest.

That being said though, could-haves and should-haves are never convincing arguments, especially in the playoffs when the difference often boils down to which team can execute better in the clutch moments. Hart, who already put another 76ers player in place earlier in the series, is now reminding Embiid of that much.