Mikal Bridges kept the focus on the bigger picture after the New York Knicks escaped San Antonio with a 105-104 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
Bridges scored 20 points, added six assists and helped New York take a 2-0 series lead, but he said the Finals stage is about effort, poise and doing whatever it takes to win. “Yeah, I think just being here before I know how it’s going to be,” Bridges said, pointing to his previous Finals experience with the Phoenix Suns.
“Just a lot of experience knowing how much effort you need to give every single moment,” he said. “Same situation up 2-0 and you know I got to be able to talk to these guys and know just keep level headed and keep playing desperate.”
Bridges said the fourth quarter showed exactly why mental toughness matters at this stage. San Antonio erased a 14-point deficit and briefly took the lead before the Knicks closed the game with the final three points.
“You know, I think that mental toughness is what I feel when we were resilient just how mentally tough we are,” Bridges said. “You know, being up in the fourth by a good amount and then they made a run, took the lead and staying resilient, you know, that’s all about the mental focus.”
He said the Knicks avoided panic when the Spurs made their charge. “We just weathered the storm, stayed together, you know, and found a way to win at the end.”
Bridges also credited the coaching staff for trusting him to make decisions late in the game and for allowing him to handle more on-ball responsibility. In the third quarter, he helped New York extend the lead while playing alongside the bench unit.
“Yeah, I think started just defensively getting stops, you know, I think that’s the biggest thing, us getting stops and getting out,” Bridges said. “And just, you know, him giving me confidence to try to make the right play.”
That confidence has grown over the past several weeks, and Bridges said it has helped him become more aggressive in pick-and-roll situations. “No I think my coaches you know giving me more confidence,” he said. “So when they you know I think I’m pretty capable and you know once I get confidence from them you know it means the world.”
Asked why his game has risen again in the playoffs, Bridges pointed to the urgency of the moment. “Just that desperation, you know, that desperation of trying to be the last team standing and trying to do whatever it takes to help my team win.”
He said the Knicks are still leaning on the same formula that got them this far. “Just my teammates and coaches just finding me,” Bridges said. “The ball is just finding me and you know just trying to make a right play honestly.”
The Knicks now head back to New York with a 13-game playoff winning streak and a chance to move one step closer to their first championship since 1973.
