Knicks superfan Stephen A. Smith absolutely elated at Mikal Bridges capping historic comeback with Game 2 win over Celtics
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges was quiet for most of Game 2 against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. However, the former Villanova Wildcat came to life in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points and leading his team to a 91-90 win on the road to go up 2-0 in their second-round series against the defending champions. Nobody was happier about his performance than ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.
Bridges was one of three big name players the Knicks traded for in the last 18 months. He, OG Anunoby and Karl Anthony-Towns were all brought in with the Celtics in mind. Through two games, New York's gamble is paying off, much to the joy of Smith, an unapologetically passionate Knicks supporter.
On Thursday's episode of First Take, Smith gave Mikal Bridges his flowers after he put on a show in the fourth quarter. The Knicks forward took Jalen Brunson's spot as the team's clutch performer in Game 2, hitting shots and making the game-winning defensive play on Jayson Tatum.
"Mikal Bridges, scoreless in the first three quarters, did you see what he did in the fourth quarter?" Smith asked Brian Windhorst and Kendrick Perkins. "14 points in the fourth quarter. Windy, you were there, you saw what he's done..."
The Knicks hold all the momentum in the series as they head back to Madison Square Garden up 2-0 in the series. New York is two wins away from the Eastern Conference Finals, bringing them one step closer to the franchise's first championship since 1973. Smith and other Knicks fans are excited that the team is playing so well against the defending champs, but their work is far from over.
How have Mikal Bridges and the New York Knicks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the series?
The New York Knicks came into the second round as significant underdogs against the Celtics after being swept in the season series. However, they were able to take advantage of two of the worst shooting nights of Boston's season to steal both games on the road. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla's game plan is built around the team's shooting. When they are missing their three-pointers, things get ugly.
Despite the poor shooting allowing the Knicks to erase a 20-point deficit in each game, both of the Celtics' home games came down to the final seconds. Mikal Bridges had the game-winning steal in overtime of Game 1 and the deflection against Tatum that decided Game 2. He isn't the flashiest player for New York, but he has been invaluable in the series so far.
Boston is a prideful team and will enter Saturday's Game 3 on a mission to begin their comeback on their opponent's home floor. However, New York now has momentum and their home crowd behind them as they look to take a virtually insurmountable 3-0 series lead. If they win Game 3, the series is, for all intents and purposes, over. No team in NBA history has come back to win from down 3-0.
