Knicks' Mikal Bridges has heroic, game-winning moment after playing 51 minutes vs. Celtics

Drew Bishop

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Knicks' Mikal Bridges has heroic, game-winning moment after playing 51 minutes vs. Celtics image

All game long, TNT's Reggie Miller kept calling Mikal Bridges an iron man.

The Knicks' forward hadn't subbed out since the first quarter in a 53-minute affair. 

But with tired legs in a physical game one against the defending champs, Bridges showed his mettle in the final moments. 

The Celtics trailed the Knicks 108-105 with three seconds to play. Boston inbounded the ball to Jaylen Brown for a chance to tie the game.

Bridges stuck to Brown like a shadow, following the eyes of the Celtics' forward rather than the ball.

Once it landed in Brown's lap, Bridges darted like a snake attacking its prey, grabbing a hold of the basketball.

It was the first-year Knick who wrestled away the ball as the final seconds drained from the clock at TD Garden. New York had stolen game one on the road and Bridges was the hammer that drove the stake through Boston's heart.

Miller kept calling Bridges iron man because of his display of durability. The forward played a game-high 51 minutes. 

He didn't end with a glamorous stat line. Bridges put up 8 points (3-13 shooting), 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. But his presence was felt throughout the game and in the moments that counted the most. 

Another play late in overtime saw Bridges steal the ball, save it from going out of bounds, and set up a fastbreak opportunity with a beautiful pass to Jalen Brunson. It gave the Knicks a 103-100 lead after OG Anunoby collected three points on a dunk and-1. 

It was an incredible game for the newest member of this Knicks core. Bridges was acquired last summer in a massive deal that included New York giving up four unprotected first-round picks.

Revisiting Mikal Bridges trade

The trade for Bridges has been maligned because of the amount of assets the Knicks gave up for a player who grades as the third or fourth best player on the team. 

Knicks received:

  • Mikal Bridges
  • Keita Bates-Diop
  • 2026 2nd-round pick
  • Draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet

Nets received:

  • Bojan Bogdanovic
  • Mamadi Diakite
  • Shake Milton
  • unprotected 1st-round pick in 2025
  • unprotected 1st-round pick in 2027
  • unprotected 1st-round pick in 2029
  • unprotected 1st-round pick in 2031
  • unprotected pick swap in 2028
  • top-four protected 2025 1st-round pick via Bucks
  • 2nd round pick in 2025

Bridges averaged 17.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in his first season as a Knick. Fans and analysts have criticized his lack of scoring in big moments and theorized that maybe the Nets sold high on the forward. 

But the game one upset against Boston show that the trade was worth it for New York. Bridges, who is known for not missing a game since high school, showed his durability when it counted most. He played 51 minutes and had his best moments in the closing moments. 

If the Knicks continue to get this output from the former Villanova Wildcat, they could shock the entire league. 

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Drew Bishop

Drew Bishop is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. After graduating from the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University, he worked in local media in Sandusky, Ohio at BCSN and the Sandusky Register, freelancing as a reporter, broadcast director and play-by-play commentator for high school sports. He then moved on to KRIS 6 News where he serves as a producer in the news department.