Mikal Bridges went from zero to hero, helping the Knicks reach their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
Michal Bridges went from zero to hero for the New York Knicks, and the first part of that sentence is not a metaphor. It seems like a long time ago now, but Bridges scored literally zero points in New York’s Game 3 loss against Atlanta. It was the low point of Bridges’ New York tenure, and the Knicks looked like they were in real danger of what could have been a first-round disaster.
How my things have changed.
Since then the Knicks have made 10 straight playoff appearances – three straight to eliminate the Hawks, then four more in a sweep of Philadelphia, and now they’re up 3-0 on the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals after a 121-108 victory on Saturday. Another win and New York is in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
There are no bridges i the hero of this run, but he is one of them. And given how this was happening, and how his name was being dragged around for the price of the five picks the Knicks paid to get him, it makes this a cool story on a deeper level than just basketball.
Let’s get the numbers, almost ridiculous. In his last eight games, dating back to the season opener against the Hawks when he had 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting, Bridges has averaged 19.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals on a 69/48/100 split.
No player in history has matched those shooting numbers during an eight-game playoff stretch while averaging at least 15 PPG, and Bridges averaged nearly 20. This has never been seen before. Even if you take out all other numbers besides field goal percentage LeBron James is the only other player in history to win 10 straight playoff games while making half of his shots.
And there’s no sign of Bridges slowing down. On Saturday, he posted 22 points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks for the Cavs while hitting 11 of 15 shots.
It’s impossible to watch Bridges over this stretch and not notice a dramatic change in his approach. Check out the reel above as well. Each shot is from the free throw line down the field. Eight on the rim. Two mid-range pulls. Floating couples. This has been a continuing theme as Bridges has cut his three-point attempt rate from 5.1 per game in the regular season to less than three per game in the playoffs. So much so that the midrange game is dead.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen bridges in this type of attack mode. Look here in Game 2 as he bursts through the 3-point line, where he has daylight when he wants to make a shot. Instead, he uses a pick from Mitchell Robinson to probe his way into the paint for a more efficient floater.
And in Game 2, he catches up and when he hears Max Strus waiting for a dribble handoff he turns down and finishes Evan Mobley’s shot.
That is a confidence deliver. Bridges was bailing early against the Hawks and then DHO and fade back to the perimeter. This Bridges is different. He hunts for scoring opportunities. Turning corners on machines. Rushing forward to change. Pull up on a dime.
This is the guy who took just three shots in that scoreless game against Atlanta. He had 15 on Saturday, and hasn’t played under 10 since Game 5 of the first round. Since then, 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% from the center (9 of 16).
“I said [Bridges] and og [Anunoby]because I don’t make a ton of play calls, you guys have to find different ways to impose your will on the game,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said Saturday. “Both of them do an amazing job of imposing their will on the game.”
That’s a good way to put it in the context of this Knicks team as a whole. Everything is flowing right now. The whole team is in an unbelievable rhythm, and when that happens you don’t have to call many plays. The ball is moving, the boys are attacking, pulling help, kicking, swinging, nobody is standing still, and Bridges is in trouble for it all. Take a look at his impact before and after that Game 6 breakout against the Hawks — from a plus-11 player to a plus-144.
Well, he plays amazing defense, too.
This has been compared to players like Tyrese Maxey, James Harden and Jalen Johnson. Neither of these guys fared well against Bridges, who was a top linebacker in Phoenix but declined, or refused to do so as he began to get angry. This looks like the best of both bridges, a two-way guy deemed valuable enough to the Knicks’ perennial rivalry that they traded those five picks for him. That trade was made as if it were the biggest payoff in recent history. Right now, it looks like they actually got a profit.
