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When the Knicks were down 2-1 to the Hawks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, things began to look existential for this core, from the bench all the way up to the President. Everybody was under the spotlight, as another two losses would be a catastrophic failure for a team with championship aspirations, after championship-level big swings.
Firing head coach Tom Thibodeau and bringing in Mike Brown was one, as was the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, but perhaps the most scrutinized move that built this current iteration was the five first-round picks New York sent Brooklyn to acquire Mikal Bridges. He was a vaunted wing they paid a premium to their crosstown rivals to pick up, and he just put up zero points and four turnovers in a pivotal Game 3 loss.
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Many had said he more than proved his worth during the 2025 playoffs, with multiple clutch games and moments to beat the Pistons in round one and upset the Celtics in round two. But this town isn’t big on consolation prizes, and a first-round loss this year would put Bridges on the chopping block and the trade that brought him here under a spotlight.
But since then, we’ve seen a completely different Bridges, one that’s been instrumental to their 11-game win streak and first NBA Finals berth in 27 years. Since that woeful Game 3, he’s cemented his Knicks legacy and once and for all made those picks an afterthought.
It started with his game-changing defense. He locked in on Nickeil Alexander-Walker, this year’s Most Improved Player.
Alexander-Walker went from a 20.8 points per game average in the regular season to 13.7 against the Knicks — his two-point accuracy falling from 52.5 percent to 32.1 — and Bridges forced nine turnovers in 29 minutes matched up with him. He was also massive off the ball and on switches, helping take All-Star Jalen Johnson out of the series.
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Electric 28.3-points per game scorer Tyrese Maxey awaited Bridges in the second round, and Bridges stepped up to the plate. Bridges held him to an inefficient first two games — 19 points a night on 38 percent shooting from the field — and forced eight turnovers in 21…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/knicks-mikal-bridges-proven-himself-012503388.html
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Publish date : 2026-05-31 01:25:00
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