Mikal Bridges says his experience reaching the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns in 2021 helped the Knicks stay composed after a 105-104 Game 2 win over the San Antonio Spurs. With Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble and Jalen Brunson delivering the final three
The Knicks didn’t just win Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals. They survived it.
New York closed out a 105-104 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. putting the franchise within two wins of the first championship in 53 years. Jalen Brunson delivered the final punch for the Knicks. scoring the last three points to clinch the result. while Karl-Anthony Towns drew much of the attention for his two-way play.
But the storyline didn’t start and end with the headlines.
Mikal Bridges was the difference-maker in the moments that could have unraveled New York. He finished with 20 points on 8-13 shooting and was essential in keeping the Knicks on the high side as Towns ran into foul trouble in the third quarter. When the pressure tightened and the game tilted, Bridges held his end of the bargain.
In his postgame presser, Bridges pointed directly to the kind of experience that doesn’t show up in box scores but shows up in decisions.
“ I think just being here before, knowing how it’s going to be. Just a lot of experience, knowing how much effort you need to give every single moment,” Bridges said via SNY.
Bridges wasn’t speaking in theory. He has already felt what it’s like when the season becomes something else entirely.
He was part of the Phoenix Suns roster that reached the NBA Finals in 2021. a run that included a brutal swing of momentum. That Suns team took a 2-0 lead in the series before losing four consecutive games. For Bridges. that sequence is the kind of lesson you carry forward when you’re trying to prevent complacency from creeping in—especially when a team is one step away from history.
There was also a reason the Knicks leaned on Bridges in this stage. It’s easy to forget now, but his arrival in New York wasn’t greeted with immediate certainty. Bridges struggled to begin the 2026 NBA playoffs. and there were questions about the Knicks’ decision to bring him in in exchange for six first-round picks. Those doubts didn’t vanish overnight, but in Game 2 they became harder to justify.
Now, with the Knicks up after a one-point finish, Bridges’ reliability has become one of the clearest stabilizers on the roster—an iron man who can defend multiple positions, and a steady presence as New York closes in on its long-awaited moment.
And if the next two games bring the same intensity, Bridges’ point will likely matter again. He’s been here before. He knows what the stage demands, and he knows how quickly a Finals lead can turn when the effort drops for even a moment.
Mikal Bridges New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs NBA Finals 2026 Jalen Brunson Karl-Anthony Towns Phoenix Suns 2021 NBA Finals NBA playoffs
Wild that it was only 105-104. That’s like one turnover away from chaos lol.
Wait so Bridges says Finals experience helped them… but wasn’t it the Spurs that choked? I feel like refs and fouls decided it with Towns in trouble.
Said he scored the final three points but I swear I saw somewhere it was Brunson the whole time. Also six first-round picks?? That’s crazy, like the Knicks better win the title or else that trade’s gonna haunt them.
I don’t even get how Towns being in foul trouble helps, like wouldn’t that make him useless? Sounds like Bridges just talks a lot about “experience” when really they lucked out by 1 point. Still… Knicks fans about to be unbearable if they take the next two.