Emotional Mikal Bridges redefined his Knicks fate again with bounce-back Game 2

SAN ANTONIO — Jalen Brunson was an undersized, second-round pick, a superstar that no one saw coming. Josh Hart was traded three times before becoming the fan favorite of a title contender. OG Anunoby might as well have come from Mars, missing nearly as many games as he played in Toronto before becoming a modern-day Dave DeBusschere.

Mikal Bridges shouldered the weight of five-first round picks, preventing him from exceeding expectations.

Until now.

Coming off a quiet showing in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Bridges bounced back in Game 2 with 20 points (8-for-13 overall, 4-for-6 on 3-pointers), six rebounds, six assists and phenomenal defense in the Knicks’ 105-104 win over the Spurs at Frost Bank Center.

“That desperation of trying to be the last team standing, I’m trying to do whatever it takes to help my team to win,” Bridges said. “Just trying to give it all I got.”

After hitting 3 of 6 from the field in Game 1 — Bridges’ fewest attempts since the first round — the 29-year-old made up for an inefficient game from Brunson.

Bridges was held scoreless for nearly 19 minutes, but then hit eight straight shots during the second and third quarters (including his first four 3-pointers), carrying the offense with Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns off the floor. Though Bridges cooled off in the fourth, he continued to bother De’Aaron Fox with his length on defense.

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“[Bridges] was huge for us on both ends of the floor,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “You’re not stopping a guy like De’Aaron Fox. You’ve just got to try to make him work. We put Mikal on Fox in the second half a little bit and made him work.

“But what he did for us offensively when we were struggling and then when we took Jalen out was huge. He made big play after big play after big play.”

Bridges was uncharacteristically emotional throughout the night, repeatedly screaming and celebrating with teammates on the sideline after each big play.

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In barely five weeks, Bridges has redefined a fate that seemed inescapable for a large part of the past two years, transforming from an overrated scapegoat — who was held scoreless as the Knicks moved two losses from first-round elimination — to an indispensable piece on both ends of the floor. Bridges entered the NBA Finals averaging 18.7 points and shooting over 62 percent from the field since being benched in Game 3 against Atlanta.

Five years ago, Bridges held a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals with the Suns. Now, he is two wins away from the ring that got away.

“Same situation, 2-0, just got to keep level-headed and keep playing desperate,” Bridges said. “Being here before, knowing how it was gonna be and how much effort you need to give at every single moment.”