BOSTON — The final defensive play was not a surprise for those who have paid attention to Mikal Bridges during the postseason, when he’s ratcheted up his physicality to levels he never reached during the regular season. With three seconds to go and the Celtics running an inbounds play, hoping to tie a 108-105 game, Jaylen Brown received a pass that sailed over the head of Bridges.
But the Knicks wing didn’t even need to foul while up three, just as Karl-Anthony Towns had pulled off on the previous possession. Instead, he went for the basketball. He hugged it, leaning into Brown, and ripped the rock away from the All-Star, tossing it down the court at the buzzer to seal a Game 1 win.
It was hardly Bridges’ only defensive highlight of the night. Earlier in the overtime, he deflected an errant pass out of bounds and dove into his own bench saving it, hauling a cross-court pass that eventually led a fast-break for an OG Anunoby and-1 dunk. It was reminiscent of a play Bridges and Anunoby, the two defensive stalwarts Josh Hart nicknamed ‘Wing Stop’ at the beginning of the year, made during a Game 6 close out of the Detroit Pistons in a previous round. Then, Anunoby blocked Tobias Harris at the rim, spurring a fast-break dunk for Bridges. This one was with the characters in reverse.
Jalen Brunson will get the credit for his crunch-time heroics. And Anunoby scored plentifully while also taking over offensively. Bridges shot just 3 of 13 from the field against Boston. But he hit a big 3-pointer in overtime, and his defense, once again, came through when the Knicks needed it most.