As 76ers fans whine over Villanova tweet, Knicks trio can deliver series dagger

PHILADELPHIA – You know who seems to be a little over the blossoming romance between New York City and the terrific troika of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, all products of the Knicks’ home-office basketball manufacturing center otherwise known as Villanova University?Philadelphia is over it.That’s who.Tuesday night, not long after the Knicks’ stunning 104-101 miracle comeback against the 76ers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Villanova’s official account on X tweeted this to its 206,500 followers: “Our guys @jalenbrunson1 and @Divincenzo with two HUGE 3s to seal a win in Game 2.” There was also a video of the epic sequence that sealed the game, showing both of those shots.And Philly … well, Philly did not take this well.“You’re a Philly school rooting for the other team.

Do better.”“Delete this tweet!”“OK, you’re absolutely not a Philly school.”“This is why no one likes you.This is why you’re not a Philadelphia school.”And those were the kind replies.

And, yes, technically Villanova is located in Villanova, Pa.It’s about 20 miles as the crow flies from Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion to Wells Fargo Center, where the Knicks-76ers series will resume Thursday night.

It’s an interesting geography lesson.Carnesecca Arena, for instance, is 15 miles from Madison Square Garden; nobody quarrels whether St.John’s is as much of a New York school as NYU or Hunter.Two notable Villanova alums noticed the kerfuffle.

They were, in a word, bemused.“We have Villanova in our blood,” Josh Hart said.“We have a bond that goes deeper, it’s where we’re from, it’s a bond that goes beyond.

For Philly fans to be mad about that … that’s idiotic.To me, that’s who we are.

We’re a family, we play for the guys who came before us.I don’t care about it.

Whether they like it or not, Villanova is in our blood.”Jalen Brunson, not one to usually partake in such non-business silliness, laughed when he...