It’s an hour before tipoff as the Knicks host the Spurs on March 1. Josh Hart walks into the locker room watching something on his iPad. He shouts out to Jeremy Sochan, asking if he’s following the game. Of course, Sochan is already watching on his phone.

Hart goes back to watching on his iPad. The game in question? Hart’s beloved Chelsea against Sochan’s cherished Arsenal. The two bitter rivals are squaring off in a game with major ramifications for Arsenal’s title chase and Chelsea’s quest to qualify for the Champions League.

Hart and Sochan are glued to their screens. Sochan, playing against his former Spurs team for the first time, is briefly interrupted by Spurs reporters before returning to the game.

But this is certainly not a one-off. Soccer arguments have become a soundtrack of the Knicks locker room. It is both what helps bring them together and what prompts relentless trash talk.