If Mikal Bridges is going to play like this, New York might be done with this series by the weekend.
The often-criticized wing, who was benched twice in the second halves in the first round series against Atlanta, was outstanding in the Knicks’ Game 1 beatdown of the 76ers with his defense and efficient shot-making.
Coming into the series, the primary question for New York was how would it slow down Tyrese Maxey? Bridges got the assignment and made life difficult for the All-Star guard. Bridges stayed tight while chasing him around screens, used his length to disrupt the passing lanes and stayed attached to his hip when he had the ball.
On offense, Bridges knocked down his spot-up jumpers and was even used as a ballhandler to facilitate offense. He finished the night with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
If Bridges is able to disrupt Maxey to this degree — Maxey had just 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting and four turnovers. — it’s hard to see how the 76ers have a chance in this series. Furthermore, with the way Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns are scoring, Bridges getting into double-digits every night is going to make New York nearly impossible to guard.
This is the Bridges New York traded five first-round picks for — efficient on offense and disruptive on defense.