Mikal Bridges feels like he owes it to a forgiving New York Knicks fan base to perform better in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The New York Knicks swingman was a virtual non-factor in his team’s 115-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, N.Y. He went scoreless in the first half due to foul trouble and never got into a rhythm on both ends of the floor.
Bridges finished with just two points on 1/5 shooting and was the only starter to log under 30 minutes of playing time. But despite that, Bridges felt like he still had the support of the Knicks’ faithful, who want him looking forward to Game 4.
“I think I played a terrible game — not playing defense well and being in foul trouble,” Bridges told reporters on Tuesday. “I know personally, I’ve got to be better. I’ll do whatever it takes to be ready for Game 4.
“But it’s nice to have a sense from fans sometimes. You just walk in, and their mindset’s on getting ready for the next game, and that’s our mindset as a team. You can’t sulk about last game, you learn from it. You just can’t do nothing about it. You’ve got to learn from it, know what you’ve got to do better, and attack the next day.
“So getting that sense from the fans, you kind of see where they’re at, which is pretty cool for a fan base to think like that.”
Bridges became the internet’s punching bag after his muted performance in Games 2 and 3 of the Knicks’ first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. He had since rebounded with stellar play through the Knicks’ 13-game postseason winning streak, averaging 16.3 points on nearly 62 percent shooting from the floor.
Knicks fans will need that version of Bridges to show up for New York to have its best shot at going up 3-1 in the NBA Finals.
