Josh Hart scanned the table. His trademark smirk visible for NBA fans to see. There was a trophy. Microphones. His brothers.In the snap of a finger, I could see that Hart was flooded with memories of the past as a new one was being internalized. Hart, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges sat shoulder to shoulder inside Cleveland’s Rocket Arena after their New York Knicks swept the Cavaliers to earn the franchise’s first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999. The three Knicks were at a podium high off the ground, fresh off their greatest feat as teammates at this level. Nearly a decade earlier, though, this trio went through something similar. As members of the Villanova men’s college basketball team, Hart, Bridges and Brunson won national championships together.Well, sort of.“I need to correct you: Mikal and I won two,” Brunson interrupted when this media member asked Hart about the former college teammates sitting together after winning the Eastern Conference in the NBA. “Josh won one. Continue.”Hart took Brunson’s jab on the chin, a rare occurrence for the man who has enough jokes to have an hour-long stand-up routine. Hart smiled, holding in any clap back he might have had cued up, and then acknowledged the moment with the emotion that it deserved.“It’s something that is surreal,” Hart answered. “Whenever you’re in college and in that locker room, you know the goal is the NBA. You know the percent chance of you all being on the same team is slim, if not none. It’s something you talk about and dream about, but you know the reality is almost impossible. The fact that it actually came to fruition is super cool because I know the time that these guys put in and I know where their hearts are.“We already share a bond and (are) brothers for life, and this is just another step. Obviously, this isn’t the ultimate goal, but you just keep adding memories. These are memories that we’ll have for a lifetime.”Since this Villanova trio came together, the Knicks have reached levels they hadn’t this century. Last year, the franchise played in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. This season, it ended a 27-year NBA Finals drought — the team opens its series in San Antonio Wednesday night. There’s something about these three that works. The proof is in the wins, both in college and now professionally.In a sport where careers can touch all four corners of the Earth, these three were able to find their way back to one another. Brunson was the first to join, back in 2022 as a free agent after his former team, the Dallas Mavericks (and many others), didn’t see what the Knicks saw in the former second-round pick. Brunson went from being a piece to the whole pie in New York and became Gotham’s knight with his huge scoring performances and late-game heroics. Hart was next, via trade in 2023. His career was good, but he had spent the first six years bouncing around from one bad team to the next. Together, they played a major role in the Knicks feeling like they were in position to take a big swing, and that came in the form of Bridges.