Mikal Bridges has been in this exact same position before — five years ago.
His Suns thought they were on their way to a championship, leading the Bucks 2-0 in the NBA Finals.
Then, everything went wrong. They didn’t win again.
“It’s always going to stick with you,” the two-way wing recalled Sunday, on the eve of the first Finals games at the Garden in 27 years.
The only difference is that the Knicks are up 2-0 going home, one of three road teams to ever take the first two games of the Finals, along with the 1993 Bulls and 1995 Rockets. But Bridges knows this series isn’t over. He’s seen how quickly things can change.
In 2023, he joined current (and former) teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart on their podcast, “The Roommates Show,” and shared his memories.
“We over here like, man, it’s light. It’s the East. … They ran up four straight, I just couldn’t believe it,” Bridges said.
Bridges is having a terrific postseason, averaging 14.6 points, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and an even 38 percent shooting from 3-point range. In Game 2, he came up big, finishing with 20 points, six assists and six rebounds.
He has spoken to his teammates about his own Finals experience, about not letting their foot off the gas.
“Same situation, up 2-0, and I’ve got to be able to talk to these guys and just keep [them] levelheaded and just keep playing desperate,” he said after Friday night’s win over the Spurs.
On Sunday, he added: “[My teammates] all know, too, and they all understand as well, knowing the series is far from over. Got to keep playing desperate and be the more desperate team.”
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this run is that the Knicks have not gotten overconfident.
They have set a franchise record with 13 consecutive playoff wins, playing desperately despite being ahead.
A common refrain after these victories are different Knicks saying they have to treat the next game like the series just started, whether it is Game 1 of a series or they’re up 3-0. That mindset has taken them pretty far.
“Personally, I think we really don’t care too much about the winning streak or anything like that because all that’s in the past,” Bridges said. “I think we do a great job as a team of always knowing that it’s 0-0 after every win, staying locked in on the next game.”
