Knicks 114, Trail Blazers 113 (OT): Fall down 46 times, get up 47
A game-winning three from Mikal Bridges was the only way this game could go
Pressure makes diamonds. It also turns Tom Thibodeau and Mikal Bridges into Phil Jackson and Michael fucking Jordan, apparently. But what makes a moment? A lot of things, certainly. For the New York Knicks, Wednesday night’s overtime grand finale is best contextualized with the happenings around the team pregame.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post dropped a bombshell column around 4:00 p.m. EST, six hours before tip-off against the Portland Trail Blazers. “Mikal Bridges asked Tom Thibodeau to back off a bit on the starters’ minutes because, among other reasons, the bench deserves more,” read the lede. To make matters worse, in his first opportunity to de-escalate the headline Thibs denied the conversation ever took place. Thus ensued a mounting anticipation for an otherwise insignificant Wednesday night regular-season game in March. Bridges and Thibodeau delivered. Just not in the way most of us would have predicted.
With 3.4 seconds to play in the added time and no Jalen Brunson, Thibs was challenged to draw up a game-winner without his game winner. As if scripted by Adam Silver under the guidance of Martin Scorsese, he elected to give the last shot to Bridges, who after inbounding to Josh Hart caught the return pass and navigated to a sweet spot at the top of the key. And with one stroke, he painted a masterpiece.
Notes
Precious Achiuwa, take a seat. And don’t leave it. This was one of his worst games as a Knick: nine minutes in the first half led to none in the second, even with New York in foul trouble all across the board. Achiuwa isn’t even a square peg at this point; he’s some weird artifact a young Thibs found on the school playground and assumed he could keep with his other toys. Wrong. A goose egg for Achiuwa could pave the way for the only thing worse for a player’s box score: “DNP – Coach’s Decision.” Let’s hope so.
Karl-Anthony Towns is a perplexing, unpredictable and yet undeniably premiere talent. He kept New York’s head above water through a first quarter slog fest of misses and turnovers before disappearing into the backdrop for the second and third quarters. Two threes in the fourth and some outstanding defense in overtime will wipe that from the record. I wouldn’t wager on Towns being a playoff riser, but I also wouldn’t bet on him disappearing. He’s shown up in some big moments for the Knicks. Wednesday was just the latest.
Towns and Mitchell Robinson as a two-man lineup has been about as good as one could have hoped so far. New York typically wins those minutes, and while Robinson looks really good, he’s yet to round a corner and catch stride. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks are outscoring opponents by 3.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor – a small sample size, assuredly, but not the kind of number you expect to water down. Come the postseason it will be bubbling at the surface. The defense isn’t perfect with Robinson on the floor. But that’s because it will never be. Asking the Knicks’ longest-tenured player to cement this defense is akin to asking Jon Taffer to improve the worst McDonald’s you’ve ever been to.
Portland is a scrappy young team who can run with the best of them, despite criticisms of fourth-year coach Chauncey Billups (OAKAAK). Down two starters and two key reserves, they gave the Knicks a run for James Dolan’s money. This game had 42 lead changes, the second-most since the league started tracking them. Scoot Henderson finished with 30 points, 20 in the fourth quarter and overtime, including last minute threes and 3-point plays in regulation and overtime. Deni Avdija made some really tough shots pretty much all night, including a lead-taking, and-1 layup in overtime. Shaedon Sharpe went cold when it mattered most for the Trail Blazers, but did his part earlier with 21 points the first three frames. Portland, like most opponents who’ve had success against New York this season, played a physical game. It got them as close as you can get. As a franchise, they’re on the way.
This was a bad Josh Hart game. Like, a real bad one, despite coming damn near another triple-double (11/11/9). Hart’s long leash with Thibs is miles lengthier than anyone else on the roster. Is it justifiable? Probably. But that doesn’t make his performance in Portland any prettier. In addition to a baffling error late, shuffling along the baseline attempting an inbounds resulted in a critical Knicks turnover (legal after allowing a basket, but not otherwise), Hart’s allergy to shooting threes flared up. I thought P.J. Tucker was the 3-point yips whisperer. He still might be. But it was increasingly frustrating watching Hart pass up open looks late. Some turned into eventual baskets for New York, but not all. His final box score is a blend of conservation and neglect: three turnovers and six 3-point tries both frustratingly deficient.
OG Anunoby has just been awesome since coming back from his foot sprain. Ignore the rust of his first two games back and in the eight since you’ll find averages of 20.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.6 stocks per game, shooting nearly 37% from three. (He’s also averaging 40.8 minutes a night over that span; just don’t tell Mikal.) Everything looks more natural for Anunoby than at points earlier this season. He’s moving with the ball, on both ends, and playing like the guy who arrived in a big way last season. Reminder: New York is 56-25 all-time with Anunoby in the lineup, 62-28 if you include the postseason. His impact is invaluable.
How about Miles McBride? No, he isn’t Brunson. But he never was, and was never going to be. So that shouldn’t be hard for anyone sans Thibs to stomach. Deuce has played increasingly well since Brunson went down. For all that’s said about his inability to play the point, he’s recorded 18 assists to just 3 turnovers. Sure, those are mostly generated out of play design and the Knicks’ off-ball movement, but give the kid some credit! I’m not going to miss the opportunity to praise the guy who signed three of his prime years away for $13 million and neither should you. Deuce has made 9-of-21 of his threes (43%) since post-Brunson’s ankle turn. And the defense hasn’t missed a beat. His play against the Blazers left nothing to be desired. Deuce had two blocks in overtime. And a big three.
New York went 1,162 days between buzzer-beating game-winners, with RJ Barrett the last Knick to hit one in toppling the Boston Celtics. Not that you need reminding, but it feels like it’s been years since we’ve beaten Boston. How about a palette cleanser?
In addition to the biggest shot of this season, Bridges finished with 33 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a pair of stocks. Asking a Knicks fan if his game-winner validates the price this team paid to acquire him is like asking a drunk friend if they want to drive. We all want to say yes, but we know we can’t. Certainly, though, this helps fans who are still struggling to see Leon Rose and company’s vision for this roster. Brunson’s injury paved the way for a lot of good things. If he returns to this version of Bridges (and McBride) then instead of the season-ending injury we feared it could prove season-saving. New York is 3-1 without Brunson this season; in those games Bridges is averaging 24.2 points on 65% shooting from the field and 38% from deep. How do we get this unstoppable force and immovable object to meet in the middle? Or is this team a walking paradox?
The only game in NBA history with more lead changes in regulation than this game was a 2023 matchup between the Hawks and Nets. Bridges called game in that one, too, hitting an 18-footer to win it. If you want to see the video, click here. But I’m not tainting this recap of his greatest moment as a Knick with Nets highlights.
Bridges vs. Thibs, Minutes Police vs. Thibs, Bridges and Thibs vs. the world—it don’t matter. Internal conflicts are best resolved with external results. Bridges’ game-winner doesn’t remove the memory of New York’s rollercoaster Wednesday. But it adds a damn good cherry to the top of a half-melted sundae. Dig in, and wait for the next one, Knicks fans. The sweet tooth of a true sports fan is never satisfied.