Chris Paul raced down the court and flung the ball to a trailing Devin Booker. What happened next was a quickfire sequence of crisp ball movement, featuring Suns basketball at its best. After a total of 10 passes, the ball found its way to Deandre Ayton’s hands for an and-1 play after an assist from Mikal Bridges.
Great defense throughout the possession.. but the @Suns find a way! #ThatsGame
— NBA (@NBA) July 9, 2021
Phoenix ends the 1st half on a 15-4 run.#NBAFinals on ABC pic.twitter.com/7Fq27zFMq4
"Just chemistry, trust, believing in your brother, believing in your teammate,” Booker said about the highlight moment. "We actually talked about that play right after the game, me and Mikal, and he was like, 'I think that was the most pumped I've ever been after a play and I was like, me too. Same here.”
Bridges had a playoff career-high 27 points in Game 2 but the play that stood out for him was finding Ayton at the last moment to cap off the incredible display of passing by the Suns.
If that particular play was a microcosm of Suns basketball this past season, then Bridges getting excited about an assist speaks volumes of what he brings to his team every single game. He profoundly does the little things whether it’s shooting, rebounding, hustling, diving for a loose ball, or simply making the right play.
Bridges was locked in shooting the basketball in Game 2, finishing 8-for-15 from the field, including three 3s, and went a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. He also added seven rebounds, but his intangible contributions were felt all over the court. His scoring turned out to be a bonus to what he’s been consistently doing.
"I thought he had balance tonight, he wasn't just taking shots, contested shots, even though he could have, because he's long, when they ran him off the line he was getting to the basket,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said about Bridges.
"He takes a lot of pressure off of everybody,” echoed Booker. "And the most impressive part is he's always guarding the most dynamic scorer on the other team. (Khris) Middleton is not an easy matchup, and that's his matchup every night and he has to do a lot on the other end. So, for him to still have his legs, still have his focus to make the plays that he did, it takes a lot of pressure off everybody.”
The multifaceted game of Bridges has been a work of progress that dates back to his days as a Villanova Wildcat. When the 3-ball didn’t work, he shared that he had to find other ways to be effective.
"Sometimes I get so focused on wanting to hit that three,” Bridges said. “If I haven't touched it in a while and I just want to get one up, I think it's always, 'let me hit this three and get myself going.’”
During the Western Conference finals against the LA Clippers, Bridges found himself with that conundrum. He didn’t score well in that series (just 8.7 points) and didn’t shoot well from deep (31.6 percent) so he had to find a way to get back into rhythm.
“I'll give E'Twaun (Moore) a shoutout, he's the one that talks to me, I know especially in that Clippers series when I wasn't getting it going, and he was just like mix it up, try and get to the rim,” Bridges said.
"And I'm like, 'damn, that's what I was doing and I just forgot.' I was trying to just hit a three. And once I started doing that, it just opened up my game just playing off my jump shot and getting into the paint and trying to have everything, for sure."
After two games in the Finals, Bridges is showing what he can do on the biggest stage. He’s racking up 20.5 points and knocking down 2.5 triples on a 38.5 percent clip. More importantly, he’s making the extra effort that has made the Suns seemingly invincible.
The Suns are elite both offensively and defensively but what separates them right now from the Bucks is their problem-solving ability. They have had an answer for everything that the Bucks have thrown at them. And one of the players who has been the key to the Suns’ problem-solving skills is Bridges.
When the Bucks had the momentum to get to within six points with less than five minutes of the game, Ayton got a crucial offensive rebound that led to a Paul triple.
"Ayton the rebound.. Paul for 3.. BANG!"@Suns up 11 under 2 to play on ABC. #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/KYXlKAJ9Pf
— NBA (@NBA) July 9, 2021
The underrated part of that sequence was the play by Bridges moments prior. Paul missed the initial shot and Bridges had to tip the ball back out to Crowder which eventually led to that 3-pointer by Paul. From a six-point game, the lead was back to nine. Moments later, Bridges got the defensive rebound and scored on the other end. The momentum went right back to the Suns and Game 2 was secured.
It seems like that in every big Suns play, Bridges is right where he needs to be.
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