The New York Knicks were on their way to defeat against the Boston Celtics on Monday night, but they never gave up and never lost faith, and eventually walked away with a gigantic overtime win.
The Knicks were playing with grit and determination during overtime.
During one wild sequence, Mikal Bridges performed a terrific steal that gave his team the ball and a chance to break a tie.
Following the game, head coach Tom Thibodeau talked about Bridges.
“Those are big-time toughness plays,” Thibodeau said of Bridges’ late-game heroics, via NBA on X. “The ball’s up in the air. It’s a 50/50 ball, just go get it, and that’s what he did. It’s hard to win, you’ve got to make plays like that.”
Coach Thibs on Mikal Bridges down the stretch:
"Those are big-time toughness plays… 50/50 ball, just go get it and that's what he did." 👏 pic.twitter.com/7gL0IFzWuK
— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2025
Bridges’ play is a prime example of an athlete pushing himself as hard as he must in order to win.
He threw his body out of bounds as he grappled with the ball and sent it sailing back to his teammates.
That is the sort of energy the Knicks will need even more of in the days ahead.
Just because the Celtics lost Game 1 doesn’t mean they won’t be a huge challenge.
In fact, they will probably be even more fired up after losing this opening game at home.
They will fight harder, and the Knicks will need to respond.
Bridges showed his teammates and fans that he is going to pour 100 percent of himself into this series.
That will not only make life hard for the Celtics, but it will inspire his fellow Knicks stars to commit more, too.
That could ultimately make all the difference.
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