Knicks Star Carries One Regret From Brooklyn

Two visits from the Brooklyn Nets afforded one New York Knicks star a trip down memory lane.

Nov 17, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) gestures towards the Brooklyn Nets bench after making a three-point shot in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Regrets, Mikal Bridges has had a few, and he wasn't even able to do it his way. Bridges probably didn't mind that latter part much, as a trade from the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks reunited him with collegiate pals Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

Bridges survived the awkwardness of a reunion weekend, as his Knicks took a doubleheader from the Nets at Madison Square Garden. New York (7-6) not only mustered its first winning streak since Oct. 28-Nov. 1 but also took the lead back in the all-time series with the Brooklyn franchise.

Nov 17, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) gestures after making a three-point shot in the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The brief face of the Nets franchise, Bridges did his part in the wins over his former employers, putting up a combined 43 points and 11 rebounds. The Knicks were a plus-23 on the scoreboard when he was on the floor.

In the aftermath of the latter victory, a 114-104 final on Sunday night, Bridges was asked about his lingering regrets from his season-plus tenure on Atlantic Avenue. What stands out, he claimed, was the lack of postseason success that the Knicks are hoping he'll provide.

“The only thing I can say about that is I wish we had more wins. That's pretty much it,” Bridges said, per Erik Slater of CluthPoints. “I control what I can control. But there's a lot of my guys over there. I'm still close with a lot of those people, even in the front office. They're great people, so [I'm] never mad about it with them.”

Nov 15, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) looks to pass the ball against Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The great power--of friendship--came with great responsibility. Bridges' two-way game is expected to be one of the difference-makers in the Knicks' quest to break into the penthouse of the NBA's final four. It has taken a while for Bridges to find his Manhattan footing but the sweep of the pesky Nets is a promising step forward. New York will have an immediate chance to accumulate three straight victories, as the Washington Wizards visit on Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

The memory of Bridges also weighed on those in the opposing locker room. Bridges originally came to the Empire State as the primary yield of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns. New Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez never got to work with Bridges on a Brooklyn basis but lauded the impact he left in their brief mind-meldings.

"I had great conversations with him, I had workouts with him, I started to build a relationship with him,” Fernandez said, per Slater. “But the NBA has certain surprises, and things change … The trade was part of our direction with how we want to do things and the plan that we have for building success and sustaining success.”

“Mikal is an amazing player, and what I told him was, ‘There's nothing else better than the NBA than being wanted.' He was wanted at that time. It's part of the business.”

The Knicks and Nets will do battle again on Jan. 21, the first of two meetings at Barclays Center.

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