Knicks' Mikal Bridges shows signs of taking his game to another level
Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) takes a jump shot against New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) during the first half of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson) Credit: AP/Duane Burleson
Mikal Bridges did not trade himself to the Knicks.
He’s not the one who decided to give up five first-round picks to pry him away from the Nets last summer. He’s not the one who set expectations almost impossibly high by possibly mortgaging the future to live large in the present.
Yet fair or not, Bridges has had to live with those expectations and the intense scrutiny they have brought all season. He’s been constantly compared to Donte DiVincenzo, whom the Knicks traded after securing Bridges, and many times in the mind of Knicks fans, he fell short.
Until he didn’t.
Bridges’ dominating performance in a series-clinching 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 on Thursday night was his most important as a Knick and gives fans hope that he can be an important physical presence on both sides of the ball in their second-round series against Boston.
Bridges not only took his already strong defensive game to a whole new level but scored a postseason-high 25 points, including the lefthanded tip-in that tied the score at 113 with 35.1 seconds left. He also played with a newfound physicality that included slamming the ball over Cade Cunningham on a fast break in the third quarter.
It was a stunning and important performance, given that Bridges had struggled to score in the first five games of the series. It also came at a perfect moment, as Bridges certainly will be a pivotal figure in the Knicks’ second-round series against the Boston Celtics. A big reason the Knicks re-signed OG Anunoby and traded for Bridges is to guard Boston wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“He’s a key part of our team. It’s all around, all the things that he brings,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after practice on Saturday. “Secondary ballhandler also, but his defense, his ability to run the floor, move without the ball, make timely shots, terrific three-point shooter from the corners. Just keep doing what you’re doing. So it’s been a steady climb for him. This will be a great challenge for not only him but our entire team.”
Thibodeau acknowledged that there has been significant pressure on Bridges all season and said he’s dealt well with it as he got used to his new team.
“I think for anybody who gets traded or in free agency or whatever it might be, there’s an adjustment period that you have to go through, and it takes some time,” Thibodeau said. “I think he’s very confident in his abilities.”
After the Knicks’ Game 6 victory, Jalen Brunson praised Bridges’ mental toughness and ability to persevere through a tough series.
“Huge shout-out to Kal,” Brunson said. “Shot wasn’t falling in this series, but he did everything else. He was guarding, his defense was amazing in this series. Thirty seconds left, he had one of the biggest plays, effort tip-in. Shot was huge. Big credit to him for keeping mentally strong and playing his game.”
Defending the Celtics, owners of the NBA’s second-ranked offense in the regular season, will be a much taller task than guarding the Pistons. The Celtics averaged 48.2 three-point attempts a game, more than any other team in league history.
The Knicks usually do well guarding the perimeter, but that sure didn’t show in their four regular-season losses to the Celtics. In the much-anticipated season opener, the Celtics tied an NBA record by making 29 three-pointers. Three out of the four games were double-digit losses. The lone close game was on April 8, an overtime victory for Boston at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks, however, are confident in the way Bridges has been playing and dealing with the pressure to perform.
“ . . . When you’re playing for the New York Knicks, it comes with a different pressure than any other organization, any place in the world,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.
“I think he’s done a great job of trusting us, believing in us, and I think the team has done a great job of rallying around each other, not just him. Mikal’s done exactly what he’s supposed to do. We have nothing but belief in his skill set, his talent and his mentality.”
Bridges’ mentality was on full display in his on-court interview at the end of Game 6. The usually soft-spoken guard couldn’t help but show his raw emotion.
“We’re built for this [expletive],” he said. “Sorry, sorry, but we’re built for it. That’s all it was. Stayed with it, stayed positive and just stayed fighting.”
The fight has just started.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
