New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges had a game to forget offensively. He shot just 3-for-13 from the field and struggled to generate any sort of offense against the Boston Celtics’ stifling defense. However, his defense came through at the best time and was instrumental in their 20-point comeback to steal Game 1 on the road.
Mikal Bridges used football instincts to grab game-saving steal
The overtime thriller was capped off with a steal off the inbounds pass to Jaylen Brown to close the game and secure the win. The steal was symbolic of Bridges’ impact defensively in the second half and was exactly what the Knicks needed out of him.
Bridges explained after the game how he was able to perfectly time the reach to get the steal, which is a rather unique way to get the job done.
“I was telling Cam Payne over there that I was just watching his eyes,” Bridges said, via SNY. “I’m a football guy, you know. So I’m just like, watching his eyes and following where the ball is at and try to get my hands as soon as I see the ball, you know, because we up three so we trying to foul, so just trying to track the ball and see where his eyes is gonna lead me and try an get the ball.”
Bridges gave the Knicks a huge defensive impact in Game 1
Bridges made a massive difference defensively in Game 1, and his impact was key to Boston’s poor shooting night and silencing Jayson Tatum in the fourth quarter. Tatum shot 0-for-7 in the fourth quarter after going 6-for-14 with 19 points in the first three quarters, which allowed the Knicks to continue chipping at the deficit.
Without his defense, the Knicks don’t win Game 1. The odds were already heavily stacked against them, and the fact that they were able to steal a game on the road like they did Monday night suddenly changes a lot of narratives about them.
The Knicks would like to see the offense get cleaned up, but if he brings that same defensive tenacity each night, they will gladly take that. Game 2 is set for Wednesday night at the TD Garden, and Bridges will look to carry that momentum into that game.