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Josh Hart rattled a box of candy — “Mike and Ike’s, baby!” — to explain where he found the energy boost to hit the winning 3-pointer in Game 6. Hart then turned to his left and raised his right hand, expecting some love from Jalen Brunson.
Brunson left Hart hanging.
“Don’t dap him,” New York Knicks teammate Donte DiVincenzo chimed in.
Brunson joked that, yes, it was movie theater snacks that fueled Hart through the playoffs.
“It’s Mike and Ike’s. It’s popcorn,” Brunson said.
Hart then chucked some of the fruit-flavored candies toward reporters and encouraged them to try the candy. DiVincenzo buried his head in a microphone, unable to keep a straight face on a dais he shared with his two teammates.
Bonded by their desire to win a championship in New York — the Knicks’ 118-115 Game 6 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night sent them to the second round — the trio are known more for their championship runs at Villanova.
They’re all doing their part to win a ring in the NBA.
Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright, the former Villanova coach and noted 76ers fan, was surely proud somewhere at the end of Game 6.
Take a look at the final Game 6 statistics: DiVincenzo hit five 3s and scored 23 points in 48 minutes; Brunson had 41 points and 12 assists and was the first NBA player to score 40 or more to close out a series since Michael Jordan for Chicago against Cleveland in 1989; Hart hit the go-ahead 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 24.
