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Head coach Tom Thibodeau perfectly summed up New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges' heroics. The Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed stunned the Boston Celtics in a thrilling 108-105 overtime win. The Knicks showcased the gritty culture that has made them so beloved by their city over these past few seasons, rallying from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter. It was an incredible night for New York, with plenty of heroes whose efforts did not always appear in the stat sheet.
Bridges was one of those players. While the shooting guard struggled from the field on Monday night, he was huge on the defensive end and made several critical plays down the stretch. That included a huge three to put New York up by six with less than three minutes left and the game's final stop on Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown. Bridges finished the clash with eight points, seven assists, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. In the postgame press conference, Tom Thibodeau recapped Bridges' impact.
“Those are big-time, toughness plays”
Tom Thibodeau talks about Mikal Bridges' plays down the stretch of tonight's game: pic.twitter.com/zUkwXZYzgi
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025
The Knicks deserve their flowers for this signature win
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It was the story of the season for New York. This team was considered very good, but could never beat the top teams in the NBA. Heading into the postseason, the Knicks were 0-10 against the Cavs, Celtics, and Thunder. And that record means nothing now. In Game 1, New York showed up and won the game that mattered, and now has Boston's attention. Of course, there are questions about whether this is sustainable. The Celtics missed 45 threes, and Kristaps Porzingis left the game with an injury. But credit the Knicks for their grit and fight, which significantly contributed to the defending champs' poor performance. And New York can certainly play better itself as well.
Mikal Bridges was traded crosstown to New York from Brooklyn in a deal that has shadowed him this entire season. The NBA's current ironman was always measured up to the haul it took to get him from the Nets. And there were some trying times for Bridges when his defense left much to be desired, and he looked offensively lost. But Bridges did something in Game 1 that many Knicks fans have been begging for. Mikal's stats throughout the season were largely solid, but he wasn't always making the winning little plays that this franchise needed him to make to take this group to the next level.
That was not the case against the Celtics on Monday night, and Bridges will need to continue to make these gritty little plays while also becoming more offensively efficient as the series continues. Overall, it's a long road ahead, but the Knicks and their fans have reasons to believe right now. It's all about continuing to put that scoreboard pressure on the defending champs, which is easier said than done, but Game 1 was undoubtedly a terrific start in that strategy.
