Tag: Mikal Bridges

Q&A: Mikal Bridges on lessons learned from Chris Paul, winning the West, and more

Mikal Bridges helped the Phoenix Suns win the Western Conference this past season and is now a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-6 wing, who has a 7-foot-1 wingspan, did a better job shutting down Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry than almost any other player in the league has done so far this year. For the second season in a row, Bridges is also shooting better than 40.0 percent on three-pointers.

Bridges caught up with HoopsHype and discussed what he learned from his trip to the NBA Finals, how he has grown from playing alongside Chris Paul, and plenty more.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Q&A: Mikal Bridges on lessons learned from Chris Paul, winning the West, and more

Mikal Bridges helped the Phoenix Suns win the Western Conference this past season and is now a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

Mikal Bridges helped the Phoenix Suns win the Western Conference this past season and is now a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-6 wing, who has a 7-foot-1 wingspan, did a better job shutting down Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry than almost any other player in the league has done so far this year. For the second season in a row, Bridges is also shooting better than 40.0 percent on three-pointers.

Bridges caught up with HoopsHype and discussed what he learned from his trip to the NBA Finals, how he has grown from playing alongside Chris Paul, and plenty more.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Mikal Bridges is officially in the DPOY conversation after giving Steph Curry one of his worst shooting nights ever

It’s time to give Mikal Bridges his flowers

Typically, the Defensive Player of the Year award goes to a big man. It has for 17 out of the last 20 years. Only Kawhi Leonard and Metta World Peace have won the award in that span by playing defense on the perimeter.

But I’m here today to let you know that Mikal Bridges should strongly be considered as the latest addition to that group.

The Suns’ wing has played stellar defense locking folks up all season long and has been a steady, two-way force for the Suns. That goes without saying. He’s very good at what he does. But you know how these awards go. If you’re winning an award, you have to have a signature moment.

And Bridges just had his. He forced Stephen Curry into one of his worse shooting nights ever. EVER.

Look at this stat.

And it wasn’t just Steph, either. Bridges is actually on quite a bit of a run.

Fans were absolutely here for the Bridges love.

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Relive the Brooklyn Nets’ top 10 plays of the 2020-21 season

With a new campaign on the horizon, let’s look back at the Brooklyn Nets’ top 10 plays from last year.

Despite falling short of a championship last year, the Nets did not fall short in putting on a show in almost every game. With all the talent in Brooklyn last season, the team was bound to put together some spectacular highlights. From game winners, to ankle-breakers to posters that you can hang up on your wall, the Nets had it all.

Putting together the top 10 plays must have been a headache with everything that went down last year, but the NBA’s YouTube team pulled it off. Without further adieu, let us take a look at the top 10 plays from the Brooklyn Nets last season.

Former Sixers draft pick Mikal Bridges helps Suns beat Bucks in Game 2

Former Philadelphia 76ers draft pick Mikal Bridges performed well for the Phoenix Suns in their Game 2 finals win.

While a major connection to the Philadelphia 76ers in these 2021 NBA finals is done as Dario Saric tore his ACL in Game 1, there are still other connections to the Sixers in these finals.

One of them is Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams who has made every right adjustment through the first two games thus far, but there is another one in former Sixes draft pick Mikal Bridges.

Philadelphia selected Bridges 10th overall in the 2018 draft before they flipped him to the Suns for the 16th pick which turned out to be Zhaire Smith. After scoring 14 points in Game 1, Bridges turned in an even better performance in Game 2.

Bridges scored 27 points to go along with seven rebounds to help the Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-108 and take a 2-0 lead in the finals. Bridges made plenty of hustle plays all night and he provided solid play on both ends of the floor to help Phoenix move to within two wins of their first-ever NBA title.

Bridges and the Suns will now head to Milwaukee for Game 3 of this series on Sunday. On the Bucks side of things, their former Sixer, Jrue Holiday, had 17 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in a losing effort.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Former Sixers coach Brett Brown apologized to Mikal Bridges’ mom over trade

Former Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown apologized to Mikal Bridges’ mother for making the trade.

With the Phoenix Suns in the NBA finals for the first time since 1993, a lot of the talk concerning the Philadelphia 76ers goes back to the 2018 draft when they selected Villanova guard Mikal Bridges 10th overall. They then flipped Bridges to the Suns for the 16th pick which then became Zhaire Smith.

Smith is no longer with the Sixers while Bridges is a starter and has played a big role for Phoenix making the finals this season. So there is a lot of disappointment on Philadelphia’s side.

What made matters worse was that Bridges’ mother worked for the organization. It almost seemed like a perfect match for a team needing somebody who can provide good play on both ends of the floor.

Former Sixers coach Brett Brown, who was also the acting general manager at the time after the Bryan Colangelo fiasco, was the one who was pulling the strings for Philadelphia and he has apologized to Bridges’ mother over and over again for making the trade.

Bridges scored 14 points in Phoenix’s Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the finals and he will now look to help the Suns take a 2-0 lead before the scene shifts to Milwaukee on Sunday.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Former Sixers draft pick Mikal Bridges impresses in Suns Game 1 win

Former Philadelphia 76ers draft pick Mikal Bridges shined for the Phoenix Suns in their Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

There are just some players who just get away from some franchises. Those select few players get overlooked and they are then moved in order to bring in a player believed to have a higher upside.

For the Philadelphia 76ers, that player is Mikal Bridges who was selected by Philadelphia with the 10th pick in the 2018 NBA draft out of Villanova. Minutes later, the Sixers sent Bridges to the Phoenix Suns in a deal that netted them the 16th pick which turned out to be Zhaire Smith.

For the Sixers, the move did not work out as Smith suffered a multitude of injuries before he was moved in a trade in the 2020 offseason. Bridges has turned into a solid 3-and-D player for the Suns and he made an impact in Tuesday’s 118-105 Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucs in the 2021 NBA finals.

Bridges poured in 14 points and he knocked down a couple of triples while also providing good play on the defensive end to get the job done. Former Sixers assistant, now Suns head coach, Monty Williams has done a great job continuing to develop his game.

Another former Sixer, Dario Saric, only played two minutes before leaving with a right knee injury. As this series goes on, Phoenix will need more strong performances from Bridges as well as hoping Saric can return.

As for the Sixers, they will continue to try and pick up the pieces from their disappointing playoff finish. They have a lot of talent, but they also have questions to answer.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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There are 8 total connections to the Sixers in the 2021 NBA finals

There will be plenty of former Philadelphia 76ers in the 2021 NBA finals.

The 2021 NBA finals get underway on Tuesday as the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks get set to do battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy. While the Philadelphia 76ers came up short of their goal of a title, there are plenty of connections to the Sixers in these finals.

For the Suns, they have seven former Sixers on their roster and coaching staff. They are led by coach Monty Williams who was an assistant with Philadelphia for one season and on his coaching staff is former Sixers guard Willie Green, former head coach Randy Ayers, and former Sixers assistants Kevin Young and Mark Bryant.

The Suns also have a former Process champion in the form of Dario Saric who played for Philadelphia for a little over two seasons with the team. He was a big part of their team making the playoffs in 2018 and he was involved in the Jimmy Butler trade early in the 2018-19 season.

Then, there’s Mikal Bridges who Philadelphia selected in the 2018 draft before flipping him to the Suns for Zhaire Smith. Bridges has turned into a nice 3-and-D option for Phoenix next to Chris Paul.

On the Bucks, there is the former Sixer All-Star Jrue Holiday. The veteran out of UCLA played his first four seasons in Philadelphia and he was named an All-Star in his final season in 2013. He was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a deal that brought them Nerlens Noel.

The Suns and the Bucks begin the NBA finals on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EDT from Phoenix Arena.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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There are 8 total connections to the Sixers in the 2021 NBA finals

There will be plenty of former Philadelphia 76ers in the 2021 NBA finals.

The 2021 NBA finals get underway on Tuesday as the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks get set to do battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy. While the Philadelphia 76ers came up short of their goal of a title, there are plenty of connections to the Sixers in these finals.

For the Suns, they have seven former Sixers on their roster and coaching staff. They are led by coach Monty Williams who was an assistant with Philadelphia for one season and on his coaching staff is former Sixers guard Willie Green, former head coach Randy Ayers, and former Sixers assistants Kevin Young and Mark Bryant.

The Suns also have a former Process champion in the form of Dario Saric who played for Philadelphia for a little over two seasons with the team. He was a big part of their team making the playoffs in 2018 and he was involved in the Jimmy Butler trade early in the 2018-19 season.

Then, there’s Mikal Bridges who Philadelphia selected in the 2018 draft before flipping him to the Suns for Zhaire Smith. Bridges has turned into a nice 3-and-D option for Phoenix next to Chris Paul.

On the Bucks, there is the former Sixer All-Star Jrue Holiday. The veteran out of UCLA played his first four seasons in Philadelphia and he was named an All-Star in his final season in 2013. He was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a deal that brought them Nerlens Noel.

The Suns and the Bucks begin the NBA finals on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EDT from Phoenix Arena.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Only 11 players played the full schedule, the lowest total since 1967

Now that it is behind us, there was nothing easy about the 2020-21 NBA regular season, especially for those participating in every game.

Now that it is behind us, there was nothing easy about the 2020-21 NBA regular season, especially for those participating in every game.

Whether it was due to injuries some may attribute to a shortened offseason or various restrictions and complications related to COVID-19, it was incredibly rare to see a player on the floor every single night. Ultimately, when it was all said and done, there were only 11 players who were able to play in all 72 games.

If that number seems low, you are absolutely right, as it was nearly half of the total from the most recent full season (21) in 2018-19. In fact, since the league moved to an 82-game schedule in 1967-68, this is the lowest number we have seen.

There is nothing surprising about only 11 players completing the full 72-game slate when considering the chaotic schedule that teams faced this year. But for perspective, while fewer than a dozen players appeared in each game for their squad, that number was as high as 58 in 1999-00.

While it is always impressive for a player to be counted on night after night, this year, that accomplishment deserves even more praise than ever before. In this case, it may even factor into the MVP discussions as Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic was the only All-Star who played all games.

Another individual worth saluting includes No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards, who played the full season despite a coaching and ownership change for his Minnesota Timberwolves.

No one should be too surprised to see RJ Barrett, who finished with the second-most total minutes played in his first season under New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, widely known to expect intense minutes from his roster.

Others who met these qualifications for top playoff contenders include Mikal Bridges (Phoenix), Bojan Bogdanovic (Utah), Georges Niang (Utah) and Ivica Zubac (LA Clippers).

Hopefully, next season will be more normal and we can see more players get the full 82-game experience.

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