Mikal Bridges made quite a first impression in his debut season with the New York Knicks. Now, he’s been recognized for a pair of clutch defensive plays made during the Knicks’ deep postseason run.
Despite some inconsistencies throughout the season, Bridges walks away from his first season in the Big Apple with the league’s best two defensive plays.
Recently, the NBA counted down its top 50 defensive plays of the season, with Bridges claiming the top two spots on the list with his game-winning defensive plays in the Knicks’ second round matchup with the Boston Celtics.
Coming in at No. 2 on the list was Bridges’ game-winning steal on Jaylen Brown in the final seconds of Game 1 of the series to complete a 20-point comeback on the road, and win 108-105.
Bridges also claimed the top spot on the list with a little bit of deja vu, as he notched himself another game-winning steal on Jayson Tatum in the closing seconds to steal Game 2 on the road by a score of 91-90. The steal capped off yet another 20-point comeback, and gave the Knicks a commanding 2-0 series lead. They would go on to win the series in six games, and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Bridges was crucial to the Knicks’ postseason success last season, and clearly the team thinks so as well, giving him a four-year, $150 million extension this offseason. He averaged 17.6 points per game last season, and should be in for a big season offensively with Mike Brown now in the fold.