The New York Knicks clinched an enthralling Game 6 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, engraving their name in the second round of the playoffs. Winning at the Wells Fargo Center felt quite familiar to Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, who have played several home games there in college for their alma mater, Villanova University. The Villanova boys combined for 80 points and 26 assists, scoring the team’s final nine points to clinch this win.
Advertisement
On the other side, the veteran Sixers point guard Kyle Lowry, a fellow Villanova alumnus himself, was proud to see his college juniors progressing deep in the postseason. In an interaction with the media following the Game 6 loss, the veteran Sixer shouted out to his fellow Villanova alums from the Knicks and had some kind words to spare for Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Hart. He expressed,
“They did their job in this series. As a fellow Wildcat, I’m proud of them, and I have a big love for those guys.”
Kyle Lowry shouts out fellow Villanova alums Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson:
"They did their job in this series. As a fellow Wildcat, I'm proud of them and I have big love for those guys." pic.twitter.com/JeZweHhK4H
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 3, 2024
The Knicks’ Villanova boys were all in a jovial mood after this win. It was reminiscent of their college days when winning was the only rite of passage. In the 2016-17 college basketball season, they had a 32-4 record with the Wildcats, including 4-0 at the Wells Fargo Center. They went on to win the Big East Conference regular season and tournament titles. However, that season ended in disappointment for the Wildcats with an unfortunate second-round NCAA tournament exit.
The Villanova trio reunited in New York last year after the Knicks acquired DiVincenzo on a four-year, $50 million deal in July. DiVincenzo already won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 while Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson are yet to play in an NBA Finals. While the trio is hopeful to accomplish the same together in this postseason run, even Tyrese Maxey was in awe of them after the game and praised their incredible run.
Tyrese Maxey praised the New York Knicks after a well-fought series
The New York Knicks’ heroics in the series have earned them some well-deserved praise from several players even in the opposing team. Besides Kyle Lowry, the young 76ers star Tyrese Maxey was also full of praise for the Knicks trio for putting on a tough show throughout the series. In a post-game interview, alongside Joel Embiid, Maxey remarked,
“That was a well fought series. Hats off to them. Those guys, they made big-time shots.”
"That was a well-fought series. Hats off to them. Those guys, they made big-time shots."
– Tyrese Maxey pic.twitter.com/7oeiO4OxwW
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 3, 2024
The Knicks will now face the sixth-seed Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs. Though New York has a home-court advantage, this series might need some extra preparation, as the Pacers have held a 2-1 advantage over the Knicks in the regular season. The Knickerbockers might need to find ways to overcome Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner, who have been quite effective against the Knicks in the regular season.
On the other hand, the Knicks guard is having a blast this post-season averaging 35.5-4.5-9, along with an explosive pain operator in Hart, who has the maximum number of offensive rebounds in the post-season, thus far. Undoubtedly, this will be an interesting matchup to see who comes out on top. What is your guess?
