Former New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein recently spoke with Ian Bagley of SNYtv about the success of his former teammates this season and what could’ve been. Hartenstein played with the Knicks the previous two seasons before signing with the OKC Thunder last offseason.
"It’s funny when you see all three teams, I think for everyone it was a win-win. Then you see Obi (Toppin) with Indiana. I think it’s bittersweet for everybody. I think we got unlucky that (OG Anunoby) got hurt. I think we had a chance last year if we had the same team … don’t want to live in the hypothetical but I felt like when we were all together, we were a really good team."
Last year’s Knicks squad, which included Hartenstein, were eliminated in the conference semifinals by the same Indiana Pacers team they currently trail 2-1 in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals. The hypothetical Hartenstein proposes is interesting, but the same could be said for a couple of other teams.
Realistically, New York likely would’ve fallen to eventual champion Boston last postseason had they been able to get past Indiana. There are so many factors that go into these hypothetical scenarios that it’s hard to say what would or could have happened.
All we can go by is how things actually unfolded. But as a competitor, no one should expect Hartenstein to say anything different. He was there in the thick of it, and surely last year’s Knicks thought they had as good a chance as any other team at winning it all.
It may sound delusional to outsiders, but that’s the world professional athletes live in sometimes. Constantly proclaiming to be the best or viewing their teams through a completely different lens than everyone else. It’s part of how some players make it as far as they do because they can block out the negative thoughts and focus on being the best.
Grade on Hartenstein’s take: C-