PHILADELPHIA – You know who seems to be a little over the blossoming romance between New York City and the terrific troika of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, all products of the Knicks’ home-office basketball manufacturing center otherwise known as Villanova University?
Philadelphia is over it. That’s who.
Tuesday night, not long after the Knicks’ stunning 104-101 miracle comeback against the 76ers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Villanova’s official account on X tweeted this to its 206,500 followers: “Our guys @jalenbrunson1 and @Divincenzo with two HUGE 3s to seal a win in Game 2.” There was also a video of the epic sequence that sealed the game, showing both of those shots.
And Philly … well, Philly did not take this well.
“You’re a Philly school rooting for the other team. Do better.”
“Delete this tweet!”
“OK, you’re absolutely not a Philly school.”
“This is why no one likes you. This is why you’re not a Philadelphia school.”
And those were the kind replies. And, yes, technically Villanova is located in Villanova, Pa. It’s about 20 miles as the crow flies from Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion to Wells Fargo Center, where the Knicks-76ers series will resume Thursday night. It’s an interesting geography lesson.
Carnesecca Arena, for instance, is 15 miles from Madison Square Garden; nobody quarrels whether St. John’s is as much of a New York school as NYU or Hunter.
Two notable Villanova alums noticed the kerfuffle. They were, in a word, bemused.
“We have Villanova in our blood,” Josh Hart said. “We have a bond that goes deeper, it’s where we’re from, it’s a bond that goes beyond. For Philly fans to be mad about that … that’s idiotic. To me, that’s who we are. We’re a family, we play for the guys who came before us. I don’t care about it. Whether they like it or not, Villanova is in our blood.”
Jalen Brunson, not one to usually partake in such non-business silliness, laughed when he heard that Hart had gone with “idiotic.”
“I don’t know what to say about that,” Brunson said, but then he sure found the words: “In their eyes, we’re not a Philly school, but when we win apparently we’re a Philly school.”
And we are off.
Greater Philadelphia has been angry for a couple of days now, and with cause. The NBA’s Two-Minute report essentially endorsed they were robbed at the end of Game 2, that the real Miracle of Game 2 were swallowed whistles that didn’t call a couple of fouls against Tyrese Maxey and didn’t grant Nick Nurse a time-out when he half-heartedly signaled for one.
So the Knicks were already going to be walking into a furnace Thursday night. They’ve enjoyed a lot of breezy environments this year in Charlotte and Orlando and Atlanta, where the “MVP!” chants for Brunson were barely drowned out by the rebuttal boos. Not this time. There’ll be a few Knicks fans at Wells Fargo, sure, and some may even be brave enough to wear their Knicks gear there.
But Wells Fargo will be out for blood. They surely agree with Joel Embiid that the Sixers are the better team, despite the two-game gap right now. They surely heard how loud the Garden was Monday, and will want to return service. They surely heard the special and egregiously vulgar chant Knicks fans chose for Embiid, and will probably have similar love notes in mind for selected Knicks.
And, well … now they have those Villanova turncoats to feed their fuel.
It makes for perhaps the most unique and important challenge the Knicks have faced this year. The difference between winning and losing Game 3 is substantial. The possibility of a short series while Milwaukee and Indiana throw haymakers at each other for six or seven games is greatly appealing. And so is the statement that a strong game right in the beast’s belly would provide.
“It’s the playoffs,” Brunson said. “If you need any more ammunition, I don’t know if you’re in the right business.”
But it’s Philly. It’s New York. There’s always going to be more ammunition. The Garden held serve, willing the Knicks on the strength of ruined voice boxes for two games. Now, it’s Wells Fargo’s turn. The Sixers still believe they’re the better team? Philly believes that? This is where the Knicks go to rejigger those appraisals.