Ariel Hukporti reveals what Sixers can learn from Knicks after title

The Philadelphia 76ers watched their rival end a long title drought as the New York Knicks were able to reach the mountaintop and win their first championship since 1973. Led by Jalen Brunson and a strong supporting cast, the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

The Sixers will now look to end a title drought of their own as they haven’t won since 1983. A new core led by Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe will look to get the job done. The Sixers brought in a championship backup big man in the form of Ariel Hukporti who was a part of this Knicks team.

The 2-year man from Germany gave his biggest lesson the Sixers could learn from the Knicks’ title run.

“I feel like never giving up,” Hukporti said succinctly. “I mean, like y’all saw in the finals, 80% of the time we were down by double figures. So, never give up, no matter what happens. You can always win in every single situation in the playoffs, especially. So, probably that. Probably the mentality to keep going, no matter what quarter it is, and how much you’re down by.”

To Hukporti’s point, the Knicks trailed the Spurs by a whopping 29 points in the third quarter of Game 4 of the finals. Normally, that means a loss. San Antonio appeared to be on its way to tying the series at 2-2, but the Knicks dug deep, didn’t give up, and rallied to win. New York also trailed by double digits in other games in the series and also trailed by 22 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals before rallying to win that as well. The Sixers can learn the same.

“Like I said before, to never give up,” Hukporti repeated. “I mean, that’s a big thing. Like, we were down, how much? 25 in the third? 25, 30 at the half in the finals? Normally, you’re not coming back, but we had that mindset in halftime. We talked to each other, and we just kept going.”

Winning a championship is never easy. There’s a reason the NBA hasn’t seen a repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors in 2018. The Sixers can do it. The biggest challenge is the mental hurdle that has to be overcome in order to reach that mountaintop.

“I feel like I can tell this team when it comes to that to not give up in the playoffs,” Hukporti finished. “I mean, if you want to win, you want to win. It’s human will, right? It’s the mentality you got to have to win a championship at that point.”

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Ariel Hukporti reveals what Sixers can learn from Knicks after title