Mikal Bridges already knew what it was like to play in the NBA Finals, a spot he was in with the Phoenix Suns in 2021. He, too, knows what it's like to be up 2-0 on basketball's biggest stage. What he doesn't want to relive is the pain of losing that lead and finishing short of a championship.
After the Knicks held off the Spurs' comeback attempt in a 105-104 Game 2 win, Bridges didn't celebrate. Speaking postgame with his adrenaline still high, he said the mindset is "0-0. Stay desperate at all times."
"0-0. Stay desperate at all times." - Mikal Bridges on heading back to The Garden up 2-0 against the Spurs in the NBA Finals. @NYKnicks | #AlwaysKnicks pic.twitter.com/U0yZP90HRl
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) June 6, 2026
As soon as the buzzer for Game 2 sounded, it didn't matter. Bridges knows better than anyone else how quickly a playoff series can shift, especially the finals. Not to rub salt in the five-year-old wound, but it'd be a nightmare scenario for New York to lose the next four games.
On Sunday, Bridges said that losing those four consecutive games will "always" be something that sticks with him. For his sake, he will hopefully be able to flip that script with the Knicks.
Mikal on the 2021 finals after being up 2-0:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 7, 2026
"I just remember losing four straight. It's always going to stick with you" pic.twitter.com/eXMrYEEzGz
Mikal Bridges knows what it's like to lose 2-0 NBA Finals lead
He didn't bask in the Knicks' 2-0 lead, though you can argue those two wins hold more weight than the Suns' in 2021, as New York did it on the road. San Antonio lost its home-court advantage, but that's still not enough for Bridges to get the least bit comfortable.
His teammates have taken the same approach. Jalen Brunson hasn't smiled since the finals began, and refused to be in any promo with the Larry O'Brien trophy. He hasn't paid attention to the festivities happening around the city. He doesn't want to think about the parade. Karl-Anthony Towns is the same way.
The Knicks are locked in and have already made history because of it. They've won 13 straight playoff games, the second-most in NBA history, sweeping Philadelphia and Cleveland. You have to go all the way back to April 23 for their last loss.
Bridges and Phoenix didn't make that kind of run in 2021, but he was in a similar position to the one he is in now. It's a lesson he has referred back to, not that he could've forgotten the sting from losing like that in the finals.
The rest of New York has already started to see the light at the end of the tunnel that represents winning the organization's first championship in 53 years, but all Bridges and the Knicks see is darkness.
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