Mikal Bridges has transformed from a struggling player to a key contributor for the New York Knicks, and his journey is truly remarkable. Not long ago, Bridges endured a difficult performance, scoring zero points in the Knicks’ Game 3 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. This marked the lowest point in his stint with New York, leaving the team on the brink of an early playoff exit.
However, the narrative has shifted dramatically since then.
The Knicks have since won 10 consecutive playoff games. They secured three straight victories to defeat the Hawks, swept the Philadelphia 76ers in four games, and now lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals following a 121-108 triumph on Saturday. Just one more victory stands between New York and their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
Bridges may not be the sole hero of the Knicks’ playoff surge, but he has undoubtedly played a vital role. Considering the intense criticism he faced for the hefty five-pick trade price the Knicks paid for him, his redemption story resonates beyond the basketball court.
Let’s delve into the numbers, which are quite impressive. Over his last eight games, beginning with the decisive win against the Hawks where he scored 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting, Bridges has averaged 19.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals, boasting remarkable shooting splits of 69% from the field, 48% from three-point range, and 100% from the free-throw line.
No player in playoff history has achieved such shooting statistics over an eight-game span while averaging at least 15 points per game, and Bridges is nearing an average of 20 points. This level of performance is unprecedented. Even focusing solely on field-goal percentage, only LeBron James has managed to win 10 consecutive playoff games while maintaining a shooting accuracy of 50% or more.
And there is no sign of Bridges slowing down. On Saturday, he hung 22 points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and a pair of blocks on the Cavs while making 11 of his 15 shots.
It’s impossible to have watched Bridges over this stretch and not notice the dramatic shift in his approach. Look at the reel above again. Every shot is from the free-throw line down. Eight at the rim. Two mid-range pull-ups. A couple floaters. This has been an ongoing theme as Bridges has cut his 3-point attempt rate from 5.1 per game in the regular season to under three per game in the playoffs. So much for the midrange game being dead.
It has been a long time since we have seen Bridges in this kind of attack mode. Look here in Game 2 as he flares out to catch a pass at the 3-point line, where he has daylight if he wants to launch a shot. Instead, he uses a pick from Mitchell Robinson to probe his way into the paint for a much more efficient floater.
Again in Game 2, he catches at the top and the instant he senses Max Strus anticipating a dribble handoff he turns downhill and finishes a lofting bank shot over Evan Mobley.
That is a confident move. The Bridges that was putting up bagels early against the Hawks just does the DHO and fades back out to the perimeter. This Bridges is different. He’s hunting scoring opportunities. Turning corners on a mission. Sprinting ahead in transition. Pull up on a dime.
This is a guy who took just three shots in that scoreless game against Atlanta. On Saturday he fired up 15, and he hasn’t taken fewer than 10 since Game 5 of the first round. Since that time, he has made an absurd 89.7% of his shots inside the restricted area (35 for 39), 61.7% in the paint (13 of 21), and 56.3% in the midrange (9 of 16).
“I told [Bridges] and OG [Anunoby], because I don’t call a ton of play-calls, you guys got to find different ways to impose your will on the game,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said on Saturday. “They’re both doing a phenomenal job of imposing their will on the game.”
That’s a great way to put it in the context of this Knicks team overall. Everything is flowing right now. The whole team is in an unbelievable rhythm, and when that’s happening, you don’t have to call a lot of plays. The ball just moves, guys attack, draw help, kick, swing, nobody is standing still, and Bridges is in the thick of it all. Look at his impact before and after that Game 6 breakout against the Hawks — from a minus-11 player to a plus-144.
Oh by the way, he’s playing incredible defense, too.
This is while being matched up against the likes of Tyrese Maxey, James Harden and Jalen Johnson. None of these guys have fared well against Bridges, who was an elite defender in Phoenix but has, or had, declined on that end as he became more offensive-minded. This looks like the best of both Bridges, the two-way guy who was deemed important enough to this multi-year Knicks championship push that they traded those five picks for him. That trade has been clowned as maybe the biggest overpay in recent history. Right now, it’s looking like they might have actually gotten a bargain.
