Jay Wright Saying Josh Hart And Jalen Brunson Were So Competitive In Practice At Villanova That He Had To Keep Whistling Practices Dead Gets Me Super Amped Up For Game 4 Of Knicks-Heat
Fox Sports - Jay Wright found himself whistling practice dead more often than usual from 2015 to 2017. While he was leading Villanova towards a national championship in 2016, stopping his team's sessions at the Davis Center on the university's campus became both a regular and unexpected occurrence for the eventual Hall of Famer.
For a pair of teams that went a combined 67-9 — that had the likes of Ryan Arcidiacono (2015-16), Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Kris Jenkins, Eric Paschall, Omari Spellman (2016-17), Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson — those stoppages kept happening because of the same two players:
Hart and Brunson.
"I do know that the two guys in practice that could take a drill too far, in a good way, where I had to say, ‘Yo everybody, chill out,' was those two guys," Wright told FOX Sports when describing the Knicks and former Villanova teammates, who have helped lead New York to its first Eastern Conference semifinals appearance in a decade.
"They were two different people, but their competitiveness was their bond. Every once in a while, they would go over the edge, but it was a good thing. Because when you're on the road and things got crazy, it was always good to have that nastiness those two have."
An article from the great Johnny Fanta is exactly what Knicks fans needed to get even more pumped up for Game 4. As you know by now, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were teammates at Villanova, and have been catalysts for the Knicks playoff run thus far. Their competitive spirit is very evident in the way they play night in and night out. When reading Fanta's article it gives me a glimpse into their makeup and makes me love them even more.
The fact that Jay Wright who has coached a great deal of terrific teams in his day (even if some of them shot too many threes), and a laundry list of talented players, said Brunson and Hart were basically the two most competitive players he's ever coached is a badge of honor. The Last Dance is still fresh on everyone's minds, and the stories of Jordan being a tyrant in practice, a teammate who pushed guys to the edge, fist-fought teammates and I'm sure a bunch of other ones that never saw the light of day were porn to everyone. Everyone ate those stories up, and while Jordan could be considered in the wrong on some of those stories, people still took his side and glorified him.
It's also why people ADORE Jordan, especially Bulls fans. The guy would rather die than lose. Which is what makes this story about Brunson and Hart so awesome. These guys are extremely close friends off the court, yet when the whistle blows they would go so hard at each other the coaching staff had to stop drills and scrimmages because they were worried guys would get hurt.
You have to absolutely love that. LOVEEEEE. Especially in New York. Knicks fans idolized tough guys, or castoffs, or just players who embody the city. The 94 team was a perfect example. Mason ... from Tennessee State University, John Starks who was bagging groceries before the NBA, and Charles Oakley from D2 Virginia Union University. All of whom would cut off their arm before giving up a layup. Starks head-butted Reggie Miller, Mason and Oakley two of the toughest guys in the league and had their fair share of fistfights. The city ate it up. People love when players pour their heart out, and that's why the fans have loved Brunson and Hart.
Which brings me to Game 4. Anytime you are down in a playoff series you start to get squeamish and nervous. The very real possibility of The Knicks being down 3-1 is staring us in the face. It's gut check time, and it's a road game. The Heat are favored and should win this game on paper. Lucky for the Knicks, we got two absolute competitive maniacs on our side. I'll be honest, I was way more worried about tonight before I read this article than after.
When your backs against the wall, and the season is on the line shotmaking and execution matter a ton, but so does internal makeup. Guts, Balls, Heart, and the extra gear are all the intangibles that matter nearly as much. Hart and Brunson sure do have those intangibles and teaming them together almost seems like two prize fighters hyping each other up for bouts in the same night. "When the lights are on, it's time to perform." There's no two guys I rather have on our side.
Let's Go Knicks!