Mikal Bridges is tormenting offenses and the playoff history book reflects it

Every time the Knicks have needed a big stop these playoffs, it has felt like Mikal Bridges has stepped up and given it to them. He is second in total steals in these playoffs with 21, trailing only Nikola Jokic. His defensive prowess has also landed him in the history books, as he is now the Knicks' leader in playoff steals per game with 2.1.

It hasn't been the easiest first season for Bridges. When the Knicks traded five first-round picks to bring him over from Brooklyn, they thought they were landing one of the league's premier point of attack defenders. That wasn't the case for much of the season, where Bridges often looked a step slow or too weak fighting over screens.

The numbers matched the eye test. Bridges logged his lowest Defensive Estimated Plus Minus, +0.1, since his rookie year. If you look at box score stats as your statistical preference, Bridges also logged the fewest steals per game of his career with 0.9.

In the playoffs, though, Bridges has become a different animal. He has looked every bit the defender that the Knicks thought they were getting, and has made countless highlight-reel plays on that end of the floor in the second round alone.

Steals are piling up for Bridges

In the Knicks' crucial Game 4 win over the Celtics, Bridges tallied four more steals, one in each quarter of the game. He has had at least two steals in every game against the Celtics this series, and has three or more steals iin six of the 10 playoff games he has played for New York.

While the steals alone are incredibly valuable, the timeliness of them has made them even more impressive. At the end of Game 1, Bridges tore the ball from Jaylen Brown's hands to top off an improbable 20-point comeback for the Knicks. It was a play where Bridges simply looked like he wanted it more. A play where he refused to let his opponent win.

Game 2 ended in equally incredible fashion for Bridges and the Knicks. In a one-point game, as Jayson Tatum attempted to pass the ball to Brown, Bridges rose up to snatch the pass out of the air and give the Knicks another thrilling victory.

Clutch play on both ends

The clutch defensive plays have become a common occurrence for Bridges and New York, and they are becoming equally common on the offensive end of the floor too.

Bridges is averaging 6.5 points in the fourth quarter against Boston, and his patented fadeaway mid-range jumper has been falling at every critical moment. As time winds down and the score tightens, Bridges has been even more lethal. In "clutch" moments, which the league defines as the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime in five-point games, Bridges is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three.