{"id":690362,"date":"2026-05-23T23:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T23:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/690362\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T23:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T23:04:10","slug":"its-who-he-is-how-mikal-bridges-reappearing-act-has-the-knicks-surging-toward-the-nba-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/690362\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It’s who he is:’ How Mikal Bridges’ reappearing act has the Knicks surging toward the NBA Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND \u2014 Mikal Bridges<\/a> nodded.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d just watched longtime teammate and friend Josh Hart<\/a> break out of a shooting slump in a major way<\/a>, knocking down five 3-pointers to fuel the New York Knicks<\/a>\u2019 sprint to a 2-0 lead<\/a> in the 2026 Eastern Conference finals. And in his postgame press conference, Bridges fielded a question about what he\u2019d seen in Hart\u2019s ability to persist through the frustration of failing against a scheme designed to exploit his weakness<\/a> until he found a way to succeed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYeah, just staying mentally tough, you know?\u201d Bridges said. \u201cThat’s the biggest thing. And just keep trusting his game, trusting his work. We’re super confident in him, and we’re gonna keep finding him, and we know he\u2019s gonna make some shots.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut just for him, personally? Just mentally tough, you know. Staying with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

You wonder if, as Bridges answered, he found his mind drifting back to last month, when he himself seemed to be struggling with a crisis of confidence \u2014 one that threatened to dash the Knicks\u2019 championship hopes against the rocks of cold, hard reality before they\u2019d even really had a chance to set sail.<\/p>\n

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And you wonder whether, as he thought about how Hart came out the other side on Thursday night \u2014 \u201cHe kept making shots toward the end, and we got to where we got to\u201d \u2014 he took a moment to consider just how far he\u2019s come since.<\/p>\n

Bridges occupies a fascinating position on this Knicks team. He\u2019s sort of like the pilot light in your furnace. When he\u2019s operating as intended, nobody really says very much, because, y\u2019know, how often do you make a point to comment about how it\u2019s just the right temperature in the living room while you\u2019re watching TV?<\/p>\n

When the light\u2019s out, though? Suddenly it\u2019s cold and uncomfortable, and people start getting grouchy, and everybody begins loudly wondering why the hell they gave up unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031, plus another 2025 first-rounder, a 2028 pick swap and a 2025 second-round pick for something that doesn\u2019t even let them take a decent shower.<\/p>\n

(OK: The metaphor got away from me a little bit.)<\/p>\n

\"Mikal<\/p>\n

Mikal Bridges is playing his best basketball of the season during the Knicks’ nine-game playoff winning streak. (Sarah Stier\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

(Sarah Stier via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

This, largely, has been Bridges\u2019 lot in life since Leon Rose forked over a half-decade\u2019s worth of draft capital to move him from Brooklyn<\/a> to Manhattan. When he\u2019s doing what fans think he\u2019s supposed to do at a high level \u2014 gloving up opponents\u2019 top perimeter playmakers, sprinting like a gazelle in transition, knocking down every corner 3, and doing it all without grinding the gears of an offensive system in which he is often, at best, the fourth option \u2014 nobody really bats an eye. (Mostly, they\u2019re too busy looking at Jalen Brunson<\/a>\u2019s or Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a>\u2019 latest gaudy stat line.)<\/p>\n

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But when he doesn\u2019t \u2014 when he\u2019s not quite as impactful at the point of attack as you\u2019d like, when he\u2019s misfiring from deep, when he\u2019s barely even looking to run a pick-and-roll and when the Knicks start slogging through what have become fairly rare spates of sluggish play \u2014 the weight of dealing all those picks to get Bridges and the subsequent $150 million extension<\/a> to retain him, and the opportunity cost of not having the draft capital and financial flexibility to hunt for Insert Superstar Antidote to All Our Problems Here starts to feel crushing.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d understand if, at times, it also feels crushing for Bridges, who had a pretty strong season on balance, even if it was rarely described that way. Yes, his counting stats were down \u2014 14.4 points per game, his lowest since his final full season as a fourth option in Phoenix \u2014 and his free-throw-attempt rate continued its plummet to career-low levels, as he seemed intent on avoiding contact around the basket.<\/p>\n

That dip also came in the context of him playing fewer minutes than he had in five years. And averaging 8.5 fewer frontcourt touches per game<\/a> than he did last season<\/a> \u2014 and fewer than he had since 2021-22<\/a>. And trying to figure out where he fit in offensively under a new head coach in Mike Brown, who had to figure out, first and foremost, how to get his All-Star fulcrums bought into what he was selling, on the same page, and firing on all cylinders.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou come here and have Jalen and [Towns] and, offensively, might have to take a step back,\u201d Hart told James L. Edwards III of The Athletic<\/a> earlier this season. \u201cSometimes that\u2019s difficult. Sometimes that\u2019s tough. You go from getting 15-20 play calls to getting three or four play calls. Mentally, it can take time to adjust to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Bridges seemed to acknowledge as much after a January win over the Raptors that saw him break out of a weeks-long funk \u2014 one mirroring the Knicks\u2019 broader post-NBA Cup swoon<\/a> \u2014 by exploding for 30 points on 12-for-15 shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I just wasn’t playing how I was supposed to be playing,\u201d Bridges said in a postgame interview<\/a>. \u201cI think I wasn’t coachable enough. I don’t know what it was. Maybe I felt too much entitlement. I just had to talk to myself about it and be coachable and be the best teammate I can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

But progress isn\u2019t always linear. The next several months would see Bridges alternate peaks and valleys \u2014 a string of 20-point outings here, a quiet night with barely a half-dozen shot attempts there.<\/p>\n

On the whole, though, Bridges still performed. Among players who made at least 60 appearances and averaged at least 25 minutes a night this season, Dunks and Threes\u2019 estimated plus-minus metric<\/a> graded Bridges as a top-40 player in the league, providing roughly the same level of on-court impact as Rudy Gobert<\/a>, Trey Murphy III<\/a>, Desmond Bane<\/a>, Cason Wallace<\/a> and Julius Randle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Notably, Bridges\u2019 contributions were evenly split: plus-0.9 points per 100 possessions added on offense, plus 0.9-per-100 on defense. In that group of players who logged 60-plus games and 25-plus minutes per night, only 20 other players in the NBA provided that kind of value on both ends of the floor \u2014 a list littered with All-NBA, All-Star and All-Defensive Team candidates.<\/p>\n

That quiet effectiveness, though, got drowned out by a louder fact: Entering the 2026 postseason, Bridges had scored 20 points in a game just twice since the All-Star break \u2014 an offensive recession that hit rock bottom in Round 1 against Atlanta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bridges maintained his defensive effort, ping-ponging all around the court to stick with and limit Most Improved Player winner Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/a>. On the offensive end, though, a player who\u2019d averaged<\/a> 19.9 points per game in the two seasons prior to joining the Knicks had become little more than an apparition.<\/p>\n

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Despite being guarded by CJ McCollum<\/a>, Bridges seemed reluctant to enter the fray, rarely setting screens or calling for the ball to run pick-and-rolls that would draw the Hawks<\/a>\u2019 weakest link into the center of the Knicks\u2019 actions. When the ball did find him, he looked tentative handling it and uncomfortable shooting it \u2014 resulting in a scoreless, four-turnover performance in Game 3 that led Brown to bench him down the stretch of Game 3<\/a>, seemingly putting his spot in the starting lineup<\/a> in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tough one,\u201d Bridges told reporters<\/a> after his benching. \u201cI got to take it on the chin and handle how I\u2019m supposed to and be ready for the next one. It\u2019s going to suck. It is what it is. I just got to be better to help my team out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown stuck with him in the starting five, but curbed his minutes, leaning harder on Miles McBride<\/a>, Jordan Clarkson<\/a> and Jose Alvarado<\/a> in Games 4 and 5. And then came Game 6 \u2014 the all-consuming<\/a>, world-historic<\/a> inferno of Game 6 \u2014 and Bridges emerged from the fire looking burned clean, reborn, like a brand new man.<\/p>\n

Over his last seven games \u2014 all Knicks victories, as the team has rampaged through the Hawks, 76ers<\/a> and, thus far, the Cavaliers \u2014 Bridges has averaged<\/a> 18.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3 assists in 34.1 minutes per game, flirting with making 75% of his 2-point tries and half of his 3s.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe’s a huge factor for us, and he’s been playing great,\u201d Brunson said after Bridges scored 17 points in the Knicks\u2019 Game 1 win over the Sixers<\/a>. \u201cThere’s times throughout the season for every player when there’s ups and downs, but he stays mentally strong, he stays mentally focused, comes into work, does his work, his routine, and all that stuff. As long as you keep chipping away, things are gonna fall in your favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bridges has been lethal from midrange, draining 60% of his shots between the restricted area and 3-point arc in this seven-game stretch<\/a>, with some important release-valve buckets from just inside the free-throw line when opposing defenses look to blitz or trap the ball out of Brunson\u2019s hands \u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026 but, perhaps even more importantly, he has rediscovered the rim. During the regular season, just 24% of Bridges\u2019 shot attempts came in the restricted area, according to Cleaning the Glass<\/a>. He\u2019s gone from barely looking at the basket to aggressively seeking it out; starting with his Game 6 breakthrough against the Hawks, that\u2019s up to 40%<\/a>, and he\u2019s converting an absurd 88% of those point-blank looks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Some of that stems from the Knicks\u2019 much-discussed shift midway through the Atlanta series toward initiating offense through Towns at the high post \u2014 a tactical adjustment that created more space underneath for cutters like Bridges to exploit. Asked after New York\u2019s Game 2 win over Cleveland what he\u2019d seen change for Bridges of late, Brown answered, \u201cHis aggression.\u201d But then he acknowledged the bigger picture of ensuring that Bridges stayed involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I also have to help him, too, by putting him in position to be able to make plays,\u201d Brown said. \u201cHe’s a guy that can make plays for himself. He can make plays for his teammates. But he just started to impose his will on the game a little bit more, while I also tried to make sure I called this number every once in a while and make sure he stays in a flow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staying in that flow does, to some degree, require a shift in mindset for the 29-year-old swingman \u2014 one predicated on making the defense pay for treating him like an afterthought, even if that\u2019s what he\u2019d very recently appeared to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m just taking what the defense gives me,\u201d Bridges said after Game 2. \u201cYou know, just being aggressive. Open? Shoot. If not? Drive. I think it\u2019s just that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

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When Bridges drives, he\u2019s been more regularly looking to finish. During the regular season<\/a>, Bridges scored just 2.5 points on 5.4 drives per game shooting 49.7% on those forays into the paint \u2014 and passing out of them 48% of the time. Over the last seven games<\/a>, his point production has nearly doubled \u2014 4.7 points on 6.1 drives per game \u2014 with Bridges shooting 71.4% on his dribble penetration and looking to kick out just 37% of the time.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s combined that increased aggression and improved finishing touch with elite ball security. Bridges has committed just four turnovers in 239 minutes over the last seven games; he has a 5.25-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in that span, and three times as many steals-plus-blocks as cough-ups.<\/p>\n

That quick-processing, strong-decision-making, don\u2019t-think-just-go mentality has paid particular dividends when the Knicks find themselves needing a bucket late. Since Game 5 against the Hawks, Bridges is 8-for-11 from the field (72.7%) in the fourth quarter<\/a>, including 3-for-4 from 3-point land, with several massive shots to help put away the Sixers and come back on the Cavs, keeping New York\u2019s magical postseason run rolling.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe really makes those winning plays, especially down the stretch, when it\u2019s winning time,\u201d Hart said earlier this week. \u201cWhether it\u2019s big shots, big stops. You\u2019ve seen game-winning blocks, game-winning shots, game-winning steals. You\u2019ve seen him impact the game and win the game in a variety of different ways, especially down the stretch, and that\u2019s something that I\u2019ve seen, I\u2019m continuing to see. And it\u2019s surreal sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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More within the bounds of expectation, though: Bridges\u2019 consistently excellent defensive work.<\/p>\n

The Knicks\u2019 midseason schematic shift<\/a> to icing pick-and-rolls<\/a> \u2014 positioning their defenders to keep the ball out of the middle of the floor, funneling the ball-handler to the sideline \u2014 has helped mitigate some of Bridges\u2019 struggles with getting over the top of screens<\/a>. It\u2019s allowed Bridges to focus more on the aspects of defense he\u2019s great at: aggressively plugging gaps off the ball as a help defender in what Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson called a \u201cshift-heavy\u201d defensive scheme; being disruptive by getting his hands in passing lanes, averaging 3.3 combined steals<\/a> and deflections<\/a> per game in the playoffs; and just sitting down and guarding his yard.<\/p>\n

Thus far in these playoffs, Bridges has been New York\u2019s primary option on Alexander-Walker; he shot just 38% from the field with more turnovers than assists in Round 1. He took on Tyrese Maxey<\/a>, whom the Knicks flummoxed with traps<\/a> triggered by Bridges at the point of attack, and who shot 7-for-16 from the floor with more turnovers than assists when matched up with Bridges, according to NBA Advanced Stats matchup data<\/a>. And now, he\u2019s handling James Harden<\/a>, whose quiet start to the conference finals has plenty to do with Bridges\u2019 ability to use his 7-foot-1 wingspan, quick feet and quicker hands to keep Harden from getting loose.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I think it’s just how I’ve always been,\u201d Bridges said after the Knicks\u2019 Game 1 win over Cleveland. \u201cJust trying to be a defender and make plays. […] Definitely one of my roles is to play defense, to guard the best guys \u2014 obviously, it’s never by myself; like, you know, I got teammates behind me that’s gonna help me \u2014 but yeah, it’s just always dope to have the challenges of guarding different guys who are really skillful, from, Nickeil [and] CJ [McCollum] to Maxey [and Paul George<\/a>], now to James and Donovan [Mitchell]. Yeah, it\u2019s just something I\u2019ve always embraced. Trying to keep getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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He has gotten better. Going back to Dunks and Threes\u2019 estimated plus-minus metric, Bridges has reached a higher level in these playoffs<\/a> \u2014 a plus-2.6 EPM, up from plus-1.8 in the regular season \u2014 and has, again, nearly evenly split that value on offense and defense. The only other players in these playoffs providing such balanced positive contributions: Victor Wembanyama<\/a>, Towns, Alex Caruso<\/a> and Ajay Mitchell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, we never worried about Mikal,\u201d Towns said at the Knicks\u2019 Saturday shootaround ahead of Game 3 in Cleveland. \u201cWe know what he can do, so there was never a worry in our locker room about Mikal or anything like that. We know when we need Mikal, he’ll show up, just like he did last year in Boston<\/a>, [with those] two big steals.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe does a lot of things that don’t end up on the stat sheet, that he doesn’t get credit for,\u201d Towns added. \u201cRight now, you know, the stat sheet’s giving him the credit for it. But we always know the impact he has on our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

That support in the locker room helped Bridges continue to fight through the rough patches and find his way back to the light. Asked after Game 2 on Thursday what gave him the confidence to turn things around, Bridges simply replied, \u201cMy teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it’s just more knowing they’re my brothers, you know what I’m saying?\u201d Bridges said at the Knicks\u2019 Saturday shootaround. \u201cLike, you don’t have to be sometimes too much just talking so much about the court. I think off the court and hanging around each other and just giving that energy to each other, you know, helps a lot. Especially for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Knicks enter Game 3 just two wins away from the franchise\u2019s first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999. That\u2019s as close as they got last year; thanks to the Indiana Pacers<\/a>, they got no farther. To keep pressing on, they\u2019re going to need Bridges to keep that same energy, keep staying with it, keep that pilot light lit.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s who he is,\u201d Brunson said earlier this week. \u201cWhen he\u2019s needed to step up, for as long as I\u2019ve known him, he\u2019s stepped up.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND \u2014 Mikal Bridges nodded. He\u2019d just watched longtime teammate and friend Josh Hart break out of a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":690363,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[155899,12993,96980,4131,64,63,483,7187,149503,7219,12989,16118,7221,20455,1173,19696,94993,87780,74678,20449,12845,12834,177382,590,12846,31650,60872,85,62610,52204,12838],"class_list":["post-690362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-76ers","tag-ajay-mitchell","tag-alex-caruso","tag-atlanta","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boston","tag-brooklyn","tag-cason-wallace","tag-cj-mccollum","tag-desmond-bane","tag-hawks","tag-indiana-pacers","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-james-harden","tag-jordan-clarkson","tag-jose-alvarado","tag-josh-hart","tag-julius-randle","tag-karl-anthony-towns","tag-knicks","tag-mikal-bridges","tag-miles-mcbride","tag-nba","tag-nickeil-alexander-walker","tag-paul-george","tag-rudy-gobert","tag-sports","tag-trey-murphy-iii","tag-tyrese-maxey","tag-victor-wembanyama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/690363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}