Mike Brown kept Mikal Bridges in the starting lineup after the wing struggled through the first three games of the first-round matchup against Atlanta, and the decision has paid off. Bridges responded by playing well late in the Hawks series and again through New York’s second-round sweep of Philadelphia.
Bridges had gone scoreless with four turnovers in 21 minutes in Game 3 against Atlanta, a line that could have pushed a coach to make a change. Instead, Brown stayed with him, and Bridges said after practice on Saturday that it matters when a coach shows that kind of faith. “It’s always great when your coach has got trust in you,” he said, adding that “teammates staying with it, keeping me confident” helped as well.
The numbers from the last seven games show why Brown’s patience mattered. Bridges averaged 15.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals while the Knicks won all seven of those games. He shot.667/.444/1.000 in that stretch and played a critical role in slowing down Philadelphia star Tyrese Maxey, helping New York finish off the series in a sweep.
The turnaround also fits the larger shape of the Knicks’ postseason so far. Bridges had struggled in the opening three games against Atlanta before settling in, and the team moved on to the second round with momentum. Saturday’s remarks made clear that the focus inside the locker room has stayed on the same point all along: winning games, accepting mistakes and moving on fast when they happen.
“I think we all know the end goal is just trying to win games and do whatever it takes to win,” Bridges said. “Even in my mistakes, just try to do whatever it takes and know that I just gotta bounce back and learn from them.” For Brown, the call to keep Bridges in the lineup was a bet on trust over reaction, and the bet has already changed the tone of New York’s playoff run.
