Villanova trio's chemistry works wonders as Knicks oust 76ers

PHILADELPHIA – Back in their old stomping grounds where their 2016 NCAA national championship banner hangs in the rafters, the Villanova trio of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo brought their winning chemistry to the New York Knicks. 

The tried and tested trio combined for 80 points and made the biggest plays down the stretch to send the Knicks into the second round of the NBA playoffs after eliminating the Philadelphia 76ers in a pulsating 118-115 Game 6 victory on Thursday (Friday Manila time) at Wells Fargo Center, which also doubles as the Wildcats home court in the NCAA.

“Man, it was a tough series. It’s a tough place to play but also a place we’re all comfortable with,” Hart said. 

Brunson delivered 14 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter. Hart pulled down 14 rebounds and knocked down the biggest shot of the night. DiVincenzo snapped out of his shooting slump and hit 5 of 9 3-pointers after going 3 for 17 in the previous three games. 

Hart’s wide-open 3-pointer with 26 seconds left broke a 111-111 deadlock that sunk the hearts of a Philly crowd who used to cheer for them back in college. 

“It feels great,” Hart said of sinking the series-clinching basket. “Especially after the last game, I felt that that loss was on my shoulders.”

In their stunning Game 5 loss, Hart missed a free throw that could have given the Knicks a four-point buffer before 76ers star Tyrese Maxey sank a tying 3-pointer that sent Game 5 into overtime. 

The 76ers completed a comeback from a six-point deficit in the final 30 seconds of regulation and won 112-106 in overtime to extend the series and bring it back to Philadelphia.  

“So, I had day-and-a-half to think about that [loss],” Hart said. “And that's really all I thought about.”

Hart vowed it would never happen again. He followed through on his promise. 

The chemistry of the Villanova trio was on full display in that pivotal play. 

Brunson set up Hart for the series-clinching basket from the left wing, his 12th assist. Then Hart faked a pass to DiVincenzo on the right wing before hesitating but when he realized the 76ers left him open, he took it and hit it. 

“So, I think it shows the unselfishness of [Brunson] to get the ball off his hand when he got trapped and [DiVincenzo] was knocking down shots that they couldn't leave him. So, it just feels good after I lost the game for us, I was able to win a game for us.”

And the series, which almost went the distance. 

After the Game 5 collapse, the Knicks raced to a 7-0 start and led 33-11 in the first quarter. Then the 76ers, buoyed by their bench, came roaring back in the second half and sat on a 54-51 halftime lead.  

A familiar foe for the Villanova trio re-emerged. 

Buddy Hield, who was taken off the 76ers starting lineup after Game 1, and did not play in the last two games, came alive with five 3-pointers in the opening half. 

The Villanova trio’s college nightmare of Hield as an Oklahoma Sooner torching them in the NCAA flashed back in their minds for a moment. But just like in their storybook national title run in 2016, they were able to contain Hield. 

The 76ers gunner was held to a single 3-pointer in the second half. 

“What we've been talking about all year is just make sure we keep fighting no matter what,” Brunson said. “It doesn't matter what the situation is. We're going to sit together and fight.”

Fight they did after the 76ers took a 71-61 lead in the third quarter. 

A DiVincenzo 3-pointer off another Brunson assist ignited the Knicks comeback to tie the game at 83-83 going into the fourth quarter. 

“That's the thing I love about our team,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It's a team. They're fighters. They don't stay down. And I think that's the biggest part of the mental toughness is always having the ability to believe you can do better and every game, whether we win or we lose, we always want to do better.”

On top of scoring 23 points, DiVincenzo also helped limit Maxey, who exploded for 46 in Game 5, to only 17 in the series clincher — a key adjustment of Thibodeau that allowed OG Anunoby to roam as a help defender on Joel Embiid.  

Embiid, last season’s MVP, was held to six points in the fourth quarter after scoring 33 in the first three quarters. 

DiVincenzo was locked in on both ends of the floor. He took on the challenge to contain Maxey which he said helped him get going offensively. 

It was the story of the Knicks all season with injuries depleting their depth. 

DiVincenzo went from Sixth Man to starting next to Brunson in the Knicks backcourt. Hart also did the same when they lost Julius Randle to a season-ending shoulder injury and Anunoby for a lengthy period because of an elbow injury. 

Playing 48 minutes became a regular duty for Hart, who, despite standing only 6-foot-4, wound up as the series’ leading rebounder with 12.3 per game and in minutes played at 46.3 per game.  

Brunson took on more scoring load. After struggling in the first two games of the series, Brunson bounced back in the next four as he became the first player to score 39-plus points in four straight playoff games since Michael Jordan in 1993. 

Embracing their shifting roles, fluctuating minutes and facing different challenges became easier for the team with the built-in chemistry of the Villanova trio. 

“I think on the court, you have the ability to bring everybody together, make adjustments have that open communication when nobody is taking offense,” DiVincenzo said. “I think everybody's goal here is to win. And it's easier when you have two guys that you've played with slowly so that sometimes when things get heated, it's coming from the right place and then that translates to everybody and everybody's able to talk to each other that way.”

Their chemistry is off the charts. In Filipino parlance, “nagkakaamuyan.”

A Knicks team with no lottery picks — except for the injured Randle — and full of second-rounders and journeymen took down a 76ers team led by the dynamic duo of Embiid and Maxey, which other playoff teams tried to avoid. 

It was the special bond of the Villanova trio that rubbed off on the whole Knicks team to punch above their weight class. 

“It’s amazing because we have a great friendship,” Hart said. “We love each other, we're like brothers.”

“I think from the outside, people think that we just like hanging out with each other and no one else but I think we really enjoy involving everyone on this team and so the chemistry, the communication we have in that locker room on the court, it's special,” Brunson added. 

It makes Thibodeau’s tough job lighter too. 

The 66-year-old Knicks coach, whose perception around the league is gruff and cold, is noticeably warmer in his presser and jokes around more often than before. 

“The pride level that we have — we have a great team — and I'm fortunate to be coaching them,” Thibodeau said. “And I don't mean that just in terms of basketball, it’s also who they are as people. 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.”

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.