You will remember Landry Shamet’s game-tying shot, dancing around the backboard and rim, turning the audible groan of thousands into one of the loudest roars Madison Square Garden will ever know. You will remember the brilliance of Jalen Brunson, providing his latest reminder why his number will hang in the rafters, scoring 15 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
But the magic couldn’t have cemented into memory without Mikal Bridges.
It was Bridges, dribbling across the court and delivering a stepback 3-pointer over former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley with the shot clock expiring to make it 97-93 with 2:38 remaining. And it was Bridges, pulling the Knicks within three on a corner 3-pointer with 1:14 to play, putting the team in position to complete a 22-point comeback — the greatest in the franchise’s postseason history.
Bridges finished with 18 points, on 7-for-11 shooting, with five rebounds and two steals in the 115-104 overtime win.
