Forward Mikal Bridges was near the verge of crying last night after he got benched in an embarrassing loss for the New York Knicks. Game 3 of the first-round series between the Knicks and Atlanta Hawks featured Atlanta escaping with a 1-point victory to take a 2-1 series lead. Bridges had the nightmare scenario of finishing with 0 points in just 21 minutes of action.
The New York Daily News revealed that Bridges was near tears, and other Knicks players were equally as devastated after the game:
“Mikal Bridges is holding back tears. Josh Hart is dejected at his locker. Karl-Anthony Towns’ face is in his hand. And Mike Brown, often notoriously late for pre- and post-game press conferences, is making his rounds early.
As he speaks, players are clearing the visitors’ locker room at State Farm Arena. Mitchell Robinson, relegated to a diminished role this season under Brown, walks out of the building. Ariel Hukporti, who hasn’t seen a playoff minute, leaves in a pink hoodie shortly after.”
Reporter Kristian Winfield named Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart as two other Knicks that took the loss hard. The locker room was a rough place after suffering such a heartbreaking defeat that put New York in a terrible spot moving forward.
Why Mikal Bridges Is Getting Blamed
Bridges looked crushed after the game due to having a career-worst performance forcing him to get benched. However, the problem goes deeper and sees Bridges getting blamed for his trade essentially blocking the Knicks from adding another superstar easily this summer.
New York sent five first-round draft picks to the rival Brooklyn Nets to acquire Bridges as their missing piece. Getting to team with former college teammates Jalen Brunson and Hart made sense on paper, but the Knicks gave up most of their trade assets since they lack young noteworthy talent.
Bridges missed the potential game-winning shot in Game 2 and got benched in Game 3 for back-to-back disaster scenarios. The report of Bridges almost crying in the locker room shows that his confidence has hit a low point. Bridges badly needs a strong individual outing and team win in Game 4 to salvage the season.
Mikal Bridges Is Likely Traded This Summer
New York entered the season as one of the two strong Eastern Conference favorites with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Teams like the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics shocked the basketball world by finishing with better record, but the other two teams still have great pressure.
Anything short of an NBA Finals appearance will likely see the Knicks looking to make big changes this summer. Brunson and OG Anunoby are two names that the team reportedly doesn’t want to move under any circumstances due to their respective importance to each side of the court.
Bridges is the name that New York will most aggressively shop if they don’t make the finals this year. Other teams will likely want other assets involved to send a better player back. However, Bridges must step up and prove he belongs on the team during this postseason run or risk losing his spot via a summer trade.
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