It had been three years. It had been nine games. The Knicks could be feeling good about themselves, they could win a few games in a row, they could sense that maybe they were putting a few things together … 

And then the schedule, these past few years, would throw the Nets at them. 

And pretty quickly, there would be a humbling. The Nets had all those stars, sure, but they didn’t always play. Didn’t seem to matter. The Nets were Up Here. The Knicks were Down There. Greg Brady switching places with Bobby for three straight years and nine straight games. Keith Partridge switching with Danny. 

Big brother to little brother. 

And so if it felt like this 124-106 Knicks win before a sold-out Madison Square Garden contained a little something extra … well, it did. For three years the Knicks have been shoved aside within the borders of their own city. No, the Nets never quite took over the town as Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z defiantly declared back in the day. There were always plenty of Knicks fans spoiling the day when these teams met in Barclays Center but after awhile that was a cute aside … kind of like the small but vocal band of Nets fans among the 19,812 who kept chanting “Brooklyn” Monday night until the lead finally reached 20. 

For now, these teams are virtual mirrors of each other, their rosters filled with ultra-likeable worker bees like the Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie, who always did enjoy tweaking the Knicks his first time through town and on Monday had 28 points.

Want to catch a game? The Knicks schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.

But on this night, the Garden belonged to the Knicks. 

More specifically, to Knickanova. 

“Knicks fans,” Jalen Brunson said, “are going to love him.” 

Brunson was referring to Josh Hart, of course, Brunson’s old running mate at Villanova, and when Brunson declares someone will become a fan favorite it is a subject he knows well: the Garden has already made a habit of chanting “M! V! P!” at every opportunity on Brunson’s behalf. 

And after Tuesday, when Brunson scored 40 points and Hart 27 in finally bringing an end to the Nets’ inter-borough dominance, Knicks fans are prepared to file the necessary papers to adopt both erstwhile Villanova Wildcats. 

“It’s pretty easy to see the chemistry they have,” said Tom Thibodeau, who sure has smiled these last two games a lot more than usual, because both Hart and Brunson look like they could have been custom-produced in the Tom Thibodeau Basketball Player Factory. 

The world saw Brunson’s reaction when the Knicks acquired Hart last week, a visceral burst of joy that went instantly viral. But 3,000 miles away, Hart reacted the exact same way. Within minutes of getting the news he was FaceTiming Brunson from the Portland locker room, the two college pals who once upon a time teamed up to win an NCAA Tournament reunited in the Association. 

“Everything about it was great,” Hart said. “On the court, off the court. New York. Madison Square Garden …” 

His smile filled out the rest of the sentence. 

“He’s a winner, he’s selfless, he’s a character guy who can help change culture,” Brunson said of Hart. “He’s a very special player and always has been.” 

Said Hart of Brunson: “Seeing him play in college was amazing and I knew he’d have a long career but I didn’t think he would get to the point where he’s playing now, where he should be an All-Star and is playing at an All-Star level. But it’s amazing to see because I know the work he puts in.” 

It’s two games, so no matter how profound the good feelings are they need to be kept in perspective. But the looming All-Star break actually feels like it’s coming at an inconvenient time for the Knicks. They have created a buzz. They are five games north of .500. They still sit in seventh but are just a half-game behind the Heat for sixth place in the East, two behind the Nets for fifth. 

And not incidentally: 

It is their city again, at least for the time being. And the feels are everywhere thanks to a couple of old college pals who sure know a thing or two about winning. 

“When you go through big moments and have the pressure of winning a national championship together that ties you together forever,” Thibodeau said. “Everything these guys do is for the team.” 

Lots of guys score points and don’t impact winning the way these guys impact winning. Hustle plays. Sprinting back on defense and stealing the ball. A lot of dirty work. 

And a lot of beautiful ball. Villanova fans already know that. Knickanova fans are quickly starting to get the idea, too.