The New York Knicks secured their spot in the second round in the most dramatic way possible. Jalen Brunson, who seems to get the job done every single time, nailed the game-winning three-pointer to take Game 6 on the road and eliminate the Pistons on their home floor.
Knicks’ Mikal Bridges fired up after series-clinching win in Detroit
The shot was so electric that his teammate Mikal Bridges was the most fired up following the victory. On the MSG broadcast, Bridges was emphatic when asked how his team was able to make such a ferocious comeback in a clutch situation.
“We built for this s–t. That’s all it is,” Bridges said (h/t Christian Arnold of the New York Post). “Sorry, sorry, but we built for it. That’s all it was. Stayed with it, stayed positive and just stayed fighting. That’s all I know. That’s all we know.”
The Knicks had gotten out to two double-digit leads but squandered both of them behind fiesty runs from the Pistons. In the fourth quarter, an 11-point lead suddenly became a seven-point deficit with over two minutes remaining, and things looked to be set up for a Game 7 back at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks staged an epic comeback to knock off the Pistons
But Brunson wanted no part of that and showed once again why he was named Clutch Player of the Year. Bridges himself put in a solid effort of his own, scoring 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting and making a positive impact on both ends.
It was easily Bridges’ best game of the postseason thus far, and one that the team will hope becomes a regular fixture as they get ready for Boston in round 2.
Perhaps the Knicks are built for the moment. At a time when it seemed like they were going to crumble, they stayed composed and delivered in the clutch to advance to the second round after a tiring first-round series.