Burning bright | Sports Daily Newsletter

Jalen Brunson’s stardom isn’t surprising.

He took another massive leap this season, his sixth in the NBA. But you might remember when he was starring in college and Villanova was winning national titles.

But how did he get here?

It goes back to sweltering Virginia afternoons and then high school in suburban Chicago, where the accolades began to pile up. Then his storied Wildcats career. All of it forged a “lunch-pail” ethos perfect for New York. And it’s a story that continues with a first-round playoff matchup with the Sixers.

— Maria McIlwain, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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These Sixers are likable.

Tough and gritty, they fought for that play-in victory over Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. And it’s more than their biggest stars. Guys like Nico Batum and Kelly Oubre Jr. have filled massive roles. But they’re going to need a bit more than toughness to take down the New York Knicks in Round 1, David Murphy writes.

Though the Sixers are gearing up for a deep playoff run, Tobias Harris’ tenure in Philadelphia is likely over. Set to become a free agent this offseason, several NBA executives believe he could land with the Detroit Pistons, The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey writes.

And Mike Sielski takes a look at the last Sixers-Knicks playoff series. Do you remember it?

Need to know when the times for this season’s showdown are? We’ve got you covered.

Next: Game 1 at Madison Square Garden tips off at 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN).

Kyle Schwarber was “sick and tired” of slow starts to his season and the thought of “looking up at a number that you hate seeing” by May. So he put an added emphasis on a more productive April. To do that, Alex Coffey writes, he identified two areas he could improve on.

Next: The Phillies are back in action as they welcome the Chicago White Sox tonight (6:40, NBCSP). Spencer Turnbull (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will face lefty Garrett Crochet (1-2, 3.57).

It doesn’t seem so long ago that Jeff Carter was one of the top goal scorers in the league. But the center is hanging up his skates after a 19-year NHL career, one that took him from Philadelphia to Columbus, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh and featured two All-Star nods and two Stanley Cups.

And it all started with six seasons with the Orange and Black.

The regular season is even more recent history, we took a look at the key questions facing the Flyers as they enter the offseason. Meanwhile, one Flyer will be recovering from triceps surgery for the next few months.

Temple tough: Meet the Owl who’s a team leader despite his injuries.

Catching fire: Drexel men’s golf has a chance to claim its first Colonial Athletic Association title this weekend.

The next step: This Archbishop Ryan star is taking his talents to Florida Gulf Coast.

Westward bound: The Union loaned Matt Real to the second-tier Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Catching up: The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane takes us through Jason Kelce’s last stand on the latest episode of the unCovering the Birds podcast.

We asked you: Give us your prediction. How far do you think the Sixers will go and why? Among your responses:

Remarkable victory over Jimmy and the Heat. Was not confident that our guys could take Butler and the Heat but they did it. With Joel relatively healthy I think they will beat the Knicks, but unfortunately will never get past our historical number one obstacle the hated Celtics. Celtics all time playoff record against the Sixers is 66 to 50 although there have been some outstanding victories by the Sixers along the way. Let’s hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. — Everett S.

The Sixers will get past the Knicks, but [lose] in the next round. It’s what they do. — Michael W.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Gina Mizell, Keith Pompey, David Murphy, Alex Coffey, Jackie Spiegel, Jonathan Tannenwald, Max Dinenberg, Jeff Neiburg, and Josh Tolentino.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading along! Have a great weekend, and enjoy some playoff basketball. — Maria