One by one, Knicks player after Knicks player echoed the same sentiment — they will be judged on what comes next, not on the regular season.
That rings true for Mikal Bridges as much as anyone.
Last year, his largely underwhelming regular season was mostly forgotten when he made some of the biggest plays during the Knicks’ playoff run.
There was the steal on Jaylen Brown in the final seconds of overtime to seal Game 1 of the second round against the Celtics.
There was the steal on Jayson Tatum in the final seconds to seal Game 2 of that series.
There was his game-tying tip-in with 35.1 seconds left in Game 6 of the first round against the Pistons, a game in which he scored 25 points.
“Playoffs are fun and real amped up and a lot of aggression, a lot of thinking,” Bridges told The Post earlier this month. “It’s just fun being in those games. The crowd and everything just goes up another level. So it’s always fun playing playoff games. Just trying to do whatever it takes to win.”
Does he feel like he raises his game in the postseason?
“I would want to,” Bridges said. “I feel like every player would want to. I just try to be the best I can be and try to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
Bridges is on the receiving end of more criticism than anyone on the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns is probably a close second, but Bridges tops the list, given the five first-round picks the Knicks traded to get him.
His regular-season output — offensively, at least — has not matched that trade haul. But he’s been vocal about sacrificing offensively for the betterment of the team.
It’s something that Josh Hart voiced support for to The Post, claiming that Bridges could score more if he got more shots, but that’s not what he’s been asked to do.
Coach Mike Brown has been clear in the offensive hierarchy — Jalen Brunson first, Karl-Anthony Towns second, everybody else after that. And usually it’s OG Anunoby coming in third, so that makes Bridges the fourth option.
If that’s what you compare him to — the different fourth options around the league — rather than his trade compensation, his output looks much stronger.
“Sacrifice for your brothers,” Bridges said after practice Friday. “… Putting your body on the line, doing whatever it takes to make the play to help your teammates out.”
Fourth option or not, Bridges has shown the ability to make game-changing plays regardless of how he performs beforehand. On a veteran Knicks team, he has as much playoff experience as anyone.
“That’s kind of what I’ve known,” Bridges said. “It’s kind of my DNA.”
