Mother's Play: Knicks Star Credits Mom For Playoff Heroics

For New York Knicks star Mikal Bridges, every day is Mother's Day.

The Knicks officially hit the mother lode on Wednesday night, staging another comeback against the Boston Celtics to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven conference semifinal set.

At the forefront of the 91-90 decision was Bridges, who once again vindicated his costly Manhattan entry and then some with sterling defensive heroics.

Having sealed the deal with a swipe of Jayson Tatum's would-be winner, Bridges credited a timely, if not eternal, source of inspiration in the aftermath, for his continued postseason breakout.

"My mom's real strong, mentally tough.

Growing up, my mom just made me like that," Bridges said of his tenacity and resilience, per Colin Martin of SNY.

"Going through experience, going through college with Coach [Jay] Wright and Villanova, he preached mental toughness.

That really brought it out of me.

I had it growing up, but I think college made it even more and established that.

That's who I am." Bridges and his three siblings were raised by Tyneeha Rivers as a single parent in West Philadelphia after she gave birth to him at 19 years old.

Mother's Day, ironically enough lands on Sunday.

Thanks to the efforts of Bridges, New York could very well be one win away from its first conference finals appearance in a quarter-century amidst the celebrations.

Though it obviously pales in comparison to Rivers' cause, Bridges has likely used her wisdom to get through a rollercoaster debut in Manhattan.

The trade that acquired Bridges' services, a rare barter with the rival Brooklyn Nets, has been fodder for Knicks critics all season, as detractors have routinely questioned why Leon Rose and Co.

sent five future draft picks for the rights of a non-All-Star.

Such interrogators have vanished, or have at least gone into hiding, amidst the ongoing series with the Celtics: Bridges created deja vu all over again when his name once again appeared in the final slot on the play-by-play sheet.

In both cases, Bridges did not let the Celtics fire off even a desperation tally.

Bridges' vindication manifested with a robbery of Jayson Tatum after Boston opted to play out the stretch following the Jalen Brunson free throws that created the final margin.

Just about 48 hours prior, Bridges refused to let Jaylen Brown put up an equalizer in Monday's opener, which gave the Knicks their first postseason overtime victory since 1996.

This time around, Bridges also offered a longer offensive showcase, putting up 14 points in the final period after he was scoreless in the first 36 minutes.

That allowed the Knicks to start creeping back into the game in a relatively brief span, as they were trailing by 16 as late as the 8:40 mark in the fourth quarter.

He scored the first seven points of the period for New York before a defensive shutdown commenced, one that allowed but one double from the field amidst a game-closing 23-6 run.

With his fourth quarter effort, Bridges became just the third Knick to score at least 14 points in a single postseason fourth quarter without the benefit of a free throw (joining Brunson and Allan Houston) and the first do it after three scoreless periods.

Even if many have to delete social media posts and prepare recipes for humble pie, such activities won't be staged in the Knicks locker room, where faith in the high-profile newcomer never wavered.

"I mean, that's what he does," Karl-Anthony Towns said with a smile in video from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

"We got the Clutch Player of the Year in the NBA [Brunson] and we've got one of the most clutch defenders in the NBA.

It's only right that for all the talk people have done about Mikal, it's when the lights are the brightest that he gets to show his worth." "You can't say enough about his toughness, grit, his mentality," lauded collegiate and professional teammate Josh Hart (h/t New York Basketball on X) .

"[In the] fourth quarter, made huge plays offensively to keep us in the game.

Defensively, he has the ability to change the whole course of a game.

You give him credit: even when his shot's not falling he's making huge plays that impact winning." Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more! Deja Blue: Knicks, Mikal Bridges Stage Another Comeback vs.

Celtics Knicks 91, Celtics 90: FULL Game 2 Log Knicks on Verge of "Super" Upset? Liberty Stars Take Over Met Gala Red Carpet Knicks vs.

Celtics: 3 Stars From Game 1's Comeback.

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