Villanova in the Pros: Brunson, Bridges and Hart Punch Ticket to NBA Finals

Villanova products Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges won championships on the Main Line. Now they have a chance at an NBA title. The ‘Villanova Knicks’ won their eleventh game in a row on Monday, May 25, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 to win the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1999 and punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. New York had the win locked up before halftime, outscoring the Cavaliers 38-26 in the first 12 minutes and pushing their lead close to 20 points at the break.

As such, Brunson, Hart and Bridges enjoyed a relatively light day at the office; the Knicks’ starters played just 138 of a possible 240 minutes. Brunson and Bridges both posted 15 points and five assists, while Hart did the dirty work with 11 rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals. The Wildcats currently boast two former players with an NBA Championship: Kyle Lowry (Toronto, 2019) and Donte DiVincenzo (Milwaukee, 2021).

The Knicks will face either San Antonio or Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals, set to begin on Wednesday, June 3 at 8:30 p.m. New York will serve as the road team regardless of which Western Conference team advances. Waiting nine days until their next game will raise concerns about rust, but the Knicks had an eight day layover between the East Semifinals and the East Finals as they wrapped up their series in four games and their opponents went to seven.

New York needed a 22-point comeback to claim Game 1 against Cleveland, their slow start an indicator of rust, but the Cavaliers faded away as the game went on; a similar situation could play out in the Finals, with the Spurs and the Thunder currently in a 2-2 deadlock.