The New York Knicks have stunned the world, taking a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Semifinal match-up against the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics, and Mikal Bridges’ fingerprints are literally all over their success. The 28-year-old Bridges has picked up two wins for the Knicks–both on the road–with a pair of crucial stops against both members of Boston’s dynamic duo.
In Game 1, Bridges ripped away the ball from Jaylen Brown right before the final buzzer to seal their 108-105 come-from-behind victory. Bridges played a game-high 51 minutes on the night, but still had enough energy to record his third and most important steal of the night in the dying seconds of overtime.
He also hit a crucial three-pointer with 2:30 left in the extra period to give New York a six-point cushion, 106-100, which helped them hang on for the victory after trailing by as much as 20 points in the second half.
The following match, Bridges came up big once again for the Knicks in Game 2. He picked just the right moment to double team Jayson Tatum in Boston’s last possession of the night and ended up with yet another game-sealing steal.
Bridges also scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, helping New York come back from yet another 20-point deficit. The Knicks took a 91-90 win to move within two wins of their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000.
These two brilliant performances from Bridges have not only reinvigorated New York’s die-hard fanbase, but it has also pushed them into the conversation for this year’s NBA championship. Bridges struggled during this past regular season–his first with the Knicks after they acquired him via a blockbuster offseason trade–yet what he has done in this series has more than justified the enormous price tag that they paid to bring him onboard.
New York made a win-now move by trading for Bridges, sending a package highlighted by five future first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets in hopes of matching up better with these Celtics—and so far, he has exceeded expectations and more this postseason.
This series will now shift to the Knicks’ home, Madison Square Garden, for the next two games which gives New York a chance to seal this series with a sweep at home. Boston is not going to go down without a fight, but it is going to be difficult to win in front of the Knicks’ raucous home crowd. If New York is to emerge victorious, Bridges must continue playing at this level on the defensive end and continue hitting even just a few shots per game on the other end.
Bridges was brought on specifically for this match-up and he is playing exactly the way the Knicks envisioned when they acquired him. This New York team was built to hang with the Celtics and they are now just two games away from completing their mission–though a much bigger task lies ahead if they can make it past these defending champions.
