Mikal Bridges credits the Knicks' experience for their ability to make big comebacks

The New York Knicks are now champions, which would have been unbelievable just a few years ago. After 52 years, they finally ended the drought and brought the Larry O'Brien Trophy to the Big Apple. It was a dominant run on paper, but they struggled here and there during the 2026 Playoffs.

Those struggles involved some of the biggest comebacks in the postseason, including the Game 1 comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the iconic Game 4 comeback in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Those were some fantastic examples of the Knicks' championship resilience, and Mikal Bridges has spoken about what goes into pulling off comebacks.

Mikal Bridges speaks on the Knicks pulling off massive comebacks

The Knicks are filled with veteran players who were hungry to achieve something during the 2026 Playoffs. As they had an underwhelming 2025-26 regular season, it was time for them to turn it up and improve their performances in the Playoffs.

Considering they had mostly the same core group from the 2025 Playoffs when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals, they wanted to succeed this time around. They made sure to use that experience because they had to come back from some big deficits.

MORE: Donovan Mitchell regrets letting the Knicks come back in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals

Jalen Brunson's role as the leader was tested multiple times in the 2026 Playoffs. Going 1-2 down to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round and having to come back from massive deficits against the other opponents needed some level heads, and as Bridges pointed out, the Knicks had that in spades.

"We had chances and opportunities where we’ve been in the same situation and succeeded. So it’s kind of having that faith of, ‘We’ve been here before.' It’s still us. Still the same game. Forty-eight minutes. Just having that same belief and knowing that it’s going to take just one possession at a time," Bridges said in an interview with Men's Health.

"We’ve been here before. We’ve done it before. You ain’t going to get it back in one possession. There’s still a lot of time left. If we could be down 20 with 10 minutes left and have a chance, being down 27 with 24 minutes, we definitely have a chance."

Now, the Knicks can enjoy the fruits of their labor. It was a magical run to the 2026 championship, and they will be looking to do the same moving forward. They have targets on their backs now, but as people learned in the 2026 Playoffs, this team is at its best when they are under pressure.

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