May 21, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) reacts with New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the fourth quarter of game two of the eastern conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Knicks’ philosophy that winning begets winning has rung true, and team president Leon Rose found it at Villanova University.
Behind the Wildcats’ trio of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges, the Knicks are headed to their first NBA Finals in 27 years, where the trio of college teammates looks to add more professional silverware to their trophy cases beginning on June 3 against either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.
Brunson and Bridges won a pair of national championships at Villanova in 2016 and 2018, while Hart was a fixture on that first title-winning squad. Brunson is always quick to point out that his best bud Hart was only there for one.
Regardless, winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy together and ending the Knicks’ 53-year title drought would be the trio’s crowning achievement.
“It’s something that’s surreal,” Hart said. “Whenever you’re in college and in that locker room, you know the goal of the NBA, and you know the chance of being on the same team is very slim, if not none. It’s something you talk about and dream about, but the reality is almost impossible. So the fact that actually came to fruition is super cool because the time these guys put in, I know where their hearts are.”
This Nova Knicks’ revolution, and perhaps one of the most important moves in franchise history, began with the signing of Brunson prior to the 2022 season. The point guard has developed into one of the game’s elite talents, the franchise’s captain, and is already the organization’s most important player of the last 25 years.
Midway through his first year in New York, he was reunited with Hart, who was acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in a four-team deal in which the Knicks parted with Ryan Arcidiacono, Cam Reddish, Ante Tomic, and a 2023 first-round draft pick.
Bridges was famously acquired from the Brooklyn Nets before the 2024-25 season for five first-round draft picks — a price that seemed too steep on some nights, and a bargain on others.
Hart is one of the relentless pistons that keep the Knicks’ motor running at the frenetic pace that helped lay waste to the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers in this postseason. Bridges was a key shot-maker in the Knicks’ 22-point comeback in Game 1 of the conference finals, and his defense helped neutralize a future Hall of Famer in James Harden.
“It’s a blessing to be a piece of this puzzle, especially in this organization,” Bridges said. “Just grateful to be in this position and for the organization to believe in me personally. No other player, no other guard I want to be alongside more than [Brunson]. I’m just grateful to be in this position.”
There was something almost poetic about this trio hitting its full stride in the conference semifinals and closing out the 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena, where their Villanova championship and retired number banners hang. Perhaps there are some banners in their future to be adorned from the rafters at Madison Square Garden.
“We already share a bond and a brotherhood for life,” Hart said. “This is just another step there. This is not the ultimate goal, but we keep adding memories that we’ll have for a lifetime.”
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