Mikal Bridges spoke at his postgame podium after the Knicks swept the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, pointing to the “special chemistry” he shares with Jalen Brunson—built long before New York—after a 130-93 Game 4 road win.
The locker-room roar from Cleveland had barely faded when Mikal Bridges stepped up to the podium, flanked by familiar faces from his past—Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, both former Villanova teammates. The stage was the kind that only arrives once a team is playing for something bigger.
The Knicks punched their ticket to the NBA Finals after a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 4 ended the series in one decisive performance: New York won on the road, 130-93.
Bridges didn’t waste time talking about who’s helped make it all click. He said he feels grateful to be alongside Brunson for a major stretch of his basketball career.
“It’s definitely a blessing to be a piece of the puzzle, especially in this organization,” Bridges said. “No other player, no other guard that I want to be along besides JB so I’m just very grateful to be in this position.”
That bond goes deeper than the current roster. Bridges and Brunson won two NCAA Tournament national championships together in 2016 and 2018. Hart was on Villanova for the first title in 2016, adding another thread to the relationship that has carried into the NBA.
“It’s something that is surreal,” Hart said of the bond with his Knicks teammates. “When you’re in college and you’re in that locker room, you know the goal is the NBA. And you know the percent chance that you’re going to be on the same team is very slim if not none. It’s always something you talk about and dream about, but in reality it’s almost impossible.”.
He described what makes it feel different now—not just the success, but the fact that the same group of players kept finding each other.
“So the fact that that actually came to fruition, it’s super cool. I know the time that these guys put in, I know where their hearts are. We already share a bond and a brotherhood for life. This is just another step there.”
For all the celebration, the next question is immediate: who will the Knicks face in the NBA Finals. New York will take on the winner of the Western Conference Finals series between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
New York Knicks Mikal Bridges Jalen Brunson Josh Hart Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 130-93 Villanova
Wild how they swept like that… 130-93 sounds fake tbh
So he’s basically saying chemistry from college?? That’s what everyone says and then it stops in the Finals anyway. Brunson’s gonna have to carry
Wait I thought the Knicks already played the Spurs before like last year? How’s it “whoever wins” when it’s always the same teams like OKC and San Antonio keep switching coaches or whatever lol. Also Villanova connections… that’s not gonna stop defense
The part about Brunson and Bridges winning those NCAA titles together in 2016 and 2018 is kinda cool but I’m still like… why is Cleveland’s crowd so mad?? 130-93 is embarrassing. Anyway I hope the Knicks don’t get too confident, because the NBA Finals always flips on one bad night