Villanova Knicks Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo star in NBA playoffs
PHILADELPHIA — New York Knicks executive Allan Houston rubbed his chin and grinned as he stood outside the visiting locker room at Wells Fargo Center late Thursday night, waiting to give out hugs and daps to every player dressed in white who had just survived a frenzied first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Three stragglers — the ones most responsible for sending the Knicks to the second round for the second time in as many years, and the ones who have championship banners hanging in the arena from their college days at nearby Villanova — made him wait longer than the others. But given how long Houston and Knicks fans have waited for a team this fun, this scrappy, this relentless and this good, it didn’t qualify as an inconvenience.
Donte DiVincenzo emerged from the tunnel as the Knicks faithful in the building serenaded him by chanting his last name. He barely cracked a smile as he shook hands with Houston, probably exhausted after playing all 48 minutes of a closeout game and spending most of that time blanketing the speedy Tyrese Maxey.
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Next came Josh Hart, shouting and beaming as he carried the game ball he had used to hit the three-pointer with 24.4 seconds remaining that gave the Knicks a lead they wouldn’t surrender in a 118-115 victory in Game 6. And finally there was Jalen Brunson, who scored a game-high 41 points and left the floor to “MVP!” chants after upstaging reigning most valuable player Joel Embiid once again on a court he could easily claim as his own.
“This place is like a home for me,” Brunson said in a postgame interview with TNT.
Before stepping into the locker room, Brunson glanced to his right and spotted Julius Randle, the Knicks’ all-star power forward who had season-ending shoulder surgery last month.
Brunson gave Randle a hug, as if to say, “We’ve got you.” Randle’s absence has never been lost on Coach Tom Thibodeau — “People tend to forget,” Thibodeau said, “he’s an all-NBA player” — or his teammates, but they have never used it as an excuse.
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The Knicks still ascended to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference as the remaining players saw increases in responsibility — and production. They won 50 games in the regular season and beat a 76ers squad whose talent exceeded that of a typical No. 7 seed, a response that has revealed the character of the group and the leadership within the locker room.
Against Philadelphia, they overcame being down five points with 30 seconds left in Game 2. After squandering a six-point lead with 26 seconds left in Game 5, they let a 22-point first-half lead become a 10-point second-half deficit in Game 6 but still found a way to advance to face the Indiana Pacers in a second-round series that begins Monday night.
“Doesn’t matter what the situation is,” Brunson said, “we are going to stick together and fight.”
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And that starts with him, the captain whose steady demeanor is calming and confidence-boosting. Brunson deflects praise in the same skillful and crafty manner with which he eludes defenders. As the Villanova Knicks assembled on the postgame podium, Hart and DiVincenzo suggested Brunson take the middle seat because he was the one who reached 40 points for the third straight game. But Brunson also had 12 assists in Game 6 and deferred to Hart, saying “Nah,” as he grabbed a seat on the end.
That gave Brunson a chance to lean back, lock eyes with DiVincenzo and mock Hart as Hart got confused about whether his knee or ankle had him limping early in the third quarter. Brunson covered his face with the microphone in embarrassment as Hart tossed a piece of candy to a reporter while explaining it was the secret to him having the stamina to play all but 15 minutes of a series that included an overtime thriller in Game 5. The playful banter of Hart, Brunson and DiVincenzo has helped unify the team, elevating the vibes.
“I can’t stand these dudes,” DiVincenzo said behind a smile that revealed how he really felt about them.
“We have great friendship,” Hart said, tapping DiVincenzo on the leg. “We love each other. We’re like brothers.”
It’s rare for three college teammates to win an NCAA championship together (all three were together in 2016; Brunson and DiVincenzo won again in 2018) and reunite on the same NBA team, let alone for all of them to be good enough to be contributors on a playoff contender. They bring the know-how and winning habits they acquired from Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright and a camaraderie forged from playing at the same program for multiple years. Add that mix to a coach in Thibodeau who prefers tough-minded players, and the Knicks’ success makes too much sense.
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“We have a great team. I’m fortunate to be coaching them,” Thibodeau said. “They’re great to be around every day. They care about each other. They want to play as a team, and I think that makes the game enjoyable.”
Brunson made his first all-star appearance this season and assumes the scoring and playmaking burden. Hart replaced Randle in the starting lineup despite being four inches shorter. He is the overachieving stat stuffer — he averaged 16.8 points and a team-best 12.3 rebounds in the series vs. the 76ers — who makes his presence felt, whether his shot is on or not. And DiVincenzo has worked himself into becoming a reliable three-point shooter while playing defense with the tenacity of a cornered cat.
Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo are connected, but that isn’t where it ends for the Knicks, who will have to defeat the Pacers to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000. “From the outside, people think we hang out with each other and no one else,” Brunson said of the Villanova Knicks, “but I think we really enjoy involving everyone on this team, so the chemistry and communication we have in that locker room, it’s special.”
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“I think everybody’s goal here is to win,” said DiVincenzo, who scored 23 points Thursday and helped limit Maxey to just 17, two nights after the 76ers guard scored 46, “and I think it’s easier when you have two guys who you’ve played with formerly, so you know sometimes when things get heated, it’s coming from the right place.”
All three had their moments in the series. DiVincenzo ended a frantic, six-points-in-14-seconds rally at the end of Game 2 with a game-winning three-pointer that had Madison Square Garden rocking. Brunson helped turn Wells Fargo Center into MSG South, breaking Bernard King’s franchise playoff scoring record with a 47-point eruption in Game 4. And Hart, smarting over missing the free throw that gave Maxey the opening to force overtime in Game 5 with seven points in the final 25 seconds of regulation, finished the job in Game 6 by hitting a three-pointer that opponents had been daring him to take most of the season.
“It felt great. We knew it was going to be a tough environment — a little tougher than last game because there was 2,500 seats that were taken up,” Hart said, jokingly referencing the block of tickets that 76ers ownership purchased to ensure Knicks fans wouldn’t take over the arena as they did in Game 4. “It was a tough place to play but a place we’re all comfortable in.”
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