PHILADELPHIA — Josh Hart shook a box of candy to explain how he got the energy to make the winning 3-pointer in Game 6. Then he looked at Jalen Brunson for some appreciation.
Brunson didn't acknowledge Hart.
“Don’t dap him,” New York Knicks teammate Donte DiVincenzo added.
Brunson joked that movie theater snacks powered Hart through the playoffs.
“It’s Mike and Ike’s. It’s popcorn,” Brunson said.
Hart then threw some of the fruit-flavored candies at reporters and urged them to try it. DiVincenzo couldn't hold back his laughter.
United by their goal to win a championship in New York, the trio is more recognized for their championship runs at Villanova.
They're all contributing to win an NBA championship.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright, an avid 76ers fan, was likely proud at the end of Game 6.
Look at the final Game 6 stats: DiVincenzo made five 3-pointers and scored 23 points in 48 minutes; Brunson had 41 points and 12 assists, becoming the first NBA player to score 40 or more in three straight games to end a series since Michael Jordan in 1989; Hart made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 24.4 seconds left and scored 16 points.
As close as brothers, right?
“I can’t stand these dudes,” DiVincenzo said seriously.
After a brief laugh, Hart patted DiVincenzo and said they had a “great friendship.”
“On a serious note,” DiVincenzo said, “I think on the court, you have the ability to bring everybody together, make adjustments, have that open line of communication with nobody taking offense. I think everybody’s goal here is to win. It’s easier when you have two guys you’ve played with before. You know, sometimes when things get heated, you know it’s coming from the right place.”
The Nova trio — and the rest of the Knicks — have at least one more round ahead of them.
The Knicks are set for an Eastern Conference semifinal matchup with Indiana. The Pacers beat Milwaukee in six games and moved on to the second round for the first time in 10 years. Game 1 is Monday night in New York.
The Knicks have reached the second round in consecutive years for the first time since the postseasons from 1992-2000, and no one did what Brunson did in this series by scoring 40 points or more in each of the final three games. He became the first Knick to do that since Bernard King 40 years ago.
In a series marked by close games, Hart made the clutch shot that made it 114-111 and sparked “Let’s go Knicks! Let’s go Knicks!” cheers throughout Philly's home court.
“The fourth quarter was just one big play after the next,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The fourth quarter was just one big “Let’s go Knicks” chant after the next.
The 76ers' plan for Game 6 of their first-round series was to prevent Knicks fans from entering Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.
Josh Harris, David Blitzer, David Adelman, and former minority owner Michael Rubin collaborated to purchase over 2,000 tickets for Philadelphia community members.
Their plan was effective until the final quarter, when Knicks fans transformed South Philly into a piece of Madison Square Garden.
Hart acknowledged the challenging environment, especially since 2,500 seats were taken in Game 6.
They will face a tougher crowd at MSG next week.
As Brunson left, he was cheered by fans wearing orange and blue, ready for the next series.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Michael Porter Jr. sees the Minnesota Timberwolves as a mirror image of the Denver Nuggets from a year ago.
They are talented, unselfish, and aggressive.
Porter is excited to face the Timberwolves, noting their hunger and belief in their abilities.
Porter quickly linked the Timberwolves to Tim Connelly, the architect of Denver's championship team before moving to Minneapolis and constructing another strong team.
Porter expressed gratitude to Connelly for his work and admired his success in building another championship-caliber team.
The Timberwolves are poised to give the reigning champs a tough challenge in Denver.
After defeating the Lakers in five games, prompting coach Darvin Ham's dismissal, the Nuggets are prepared to face the Wolves.
The Wolves advanced to Round 2 for the first time in 20 years by sweeping the Phoenix Suns, who had beaten them in the regular season.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone dismissed the idea that the Wolves suddenly turned on their playoff performance.
Malone highlighted the Wolves' strong roster and achievements throughout the season.
“They’ve been great all season long.”
The Nuggets and Wolves were initially projected to finish as the top two teams in the West, but the Oklahoma City Thunder surpassed them, resulting in an earlier matchup.
Towns emphasized the Wolves' challenging path to a championship, acknowledging their victory over Phoenix and preparing for a disciplined and high-performing opponent in the second round.
The Nuggets didn't score much more than the Lakers in Round 1, but they had four comebacks, three of which were from double digits, and Jamal Murray made two game-winning shots in the final moments of Games 2 and 5 at home.
Towns said the Lakers have a history of winning championships and have shown discipline and the ability to win close games, so their opponents need to be prepared to play at a high level for the entire game.
Even though the Timberwolves have Rudy Gobert, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, who is on track to win a fourth award, he may not be their best option for defending Nikola Jokic, who is favored to win his third MVP title.
Gobert sees the game more as a global matchup rather than a direct matchup, and wants to make Jokic work during the game.
The Timberwolves want Gobert to play a roaming role in the lane where he can block shots, so the main responsibility for defending Jokic will likely fall to Towns, although it will be a team effort.
Towns is excited to compete against some of the best offensive players in the game, as he did when defending Kevin Durant in Round 1.
The Wolves are hopeful that head coach Chris Finch will be on the bench for the next game after his knee surgery. Finch had surgery to repair his ruptured right patellar tendon after a collision with Mike Conley last week. Assistant coach Micah Nori has been in charge during Finch’s absence.
Finch will probably be in the locker room for pregame and halftime meetings and watch the game from a suite if there's not enough room for him to safely stand on the sideline with his leg extended.
