Mikal Bridges saved his best play for the end of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The forward sealed the New York Knicks' upset win over the Boston Celtics by ripping the ball from Jaylen Brown as time expired in overtime. That lifted New York to a 108-105 win.
The Knicks led 108-105 with 3.0 seconds left as Boston set up to inbound the ball from the right side. Derrick White surveyed the court and tossed the ball near the other sideline in Brown's direction. He secured it, then swept through attempting to go up for a shot. Bridges was all over him and ripped the ball away. He then spun free and tossed the ball down court as time expired.
It was truly an incredible defensive play to seal the game. Video is below.
MIKAL BRIDGES STEAL TO SEAL GAME 1 FOR THE KNICKS!!
— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2025
20-POINT COMEBACK COMPLETE ✅ pic.twitter.com/us3Nq0Dykx
Another angle:
CLAMPS WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE 🔐 https://t.co/FyIsy788AI pic.twitter.com/PtPKhjVtnI
— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2025
Amazing.
Bridges played a game-high 51 minutes and only managed eight points, but he added six rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. That final steal proved his value beyond any doubt.
New York landed Bridges in the offseason in a massive blockbuster deal. They acquired him and Keita Bates-Diop from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, five future first-round draft picks, a first-round pick swap, and a second-round pick. It was an enormous price to pay for one player, but he showed why they wanted him so badly on Monday night.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikal Bridges Makes Incredible Defensive Play to Seal Knicks Game 1 Win Over Celtics.
