Though it was certainly a collective effort that led to their series-clinching blowout win over the Hawks on Thursday night, Mikal Bridges personally found a way to finally break out of his grueling slump and come up big for the New York Knicks.
Interestingly enough, though his down season may have people forgetting, throughout his two-year tenure with the orange and blue, he's surprisingly built up a track record for coming up big in the playoffs when his club has needed him most.
Mikal Bridges regularly shines for Knicks in high-stakes playoff situations
Throughout last year's postseason, Bridges always seemed to find ways to shine bright with the stakes at their highest.
In their series-clincher against Detroit during Game 6 of the quarterfinals, the forward went on to drop a whopping 25 points, second to only Jalen Brunson's 40.
Against the Celtics in round two, he showed off his two-way excellence with a game-sealing steal and recovery in Game 1, and then with a scorched-earth fourth quarter in which he scored 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field in Game 2 to lead the Knicks to a 2-0 series lead right out of the gates.
Heck, even though they ended up losing the game and, as a result, the series, in a do-or-die Game 6 against the Pacers in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, Bridges found himself absolutely stuffing the stat sheet with 15 points, four assists, and three stocks while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from deep.
Now, with a trip to New York's fourth-straight semifinal on the line, he came out aggressive on both ends of the ball with eight points, two boards, and a block in the first quarter alone and wrapped up the night with 24 points (second only to OG Anunoby's 29), five rebounds, and three assists while shooting a lights-out 83.3 percent from the floor and 100 percent shooting from deep.
2025-26 has been a trying year for Bridges, one where he's seen career-low lulls and has justifiably earned scathing criticism from fans and pundits alike.
While Thursday's statement game won't erase all concerns surrounding the eight-year pro, it should serve as a refreshing reminder that he has a rather impressive track record of showing up big in crucial playoff situations for the Knicks.
As they move forward in this year's postseason, having someone like this in Bridges could serve as a serious confidence booster with the stakes only getting higher.
Add us as a preferred source on Google