The Knicks found themselves in some serious holes during their championship run, but Mikal Bridges says there was one reason New York never panicked.Experience.New York finally ended its 52-year championship drought in 2026, but its path to the Larry OBrien Trophy was anything but straightforward. The Knicks repeatedly found themselves fighting from behind, including major comebacks against the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs.For Bridges, those moments were easier to navigate because the Knicks had already been there before.We had chances and opportunities where weve been in the same situation and succeeded. So its kind of having that faith of, Weve been here before. Its still us. Still the same game, Bridges said in an interview with Mens Health. 48 minutes. Just having that same belief and knowing that its going to take just one possession at a time.Weve been here before. Weve done it before. You aint going to get it back in one possession. Theres 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.That belief was tested throughout the postseason.The Knicks fell behind two games to one against the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round before recovering, while later rounds presented even bigger challenges. New York produced one of its biggest rallies in Game 1 against Cleveland before pulling off another memorable comeback against San Antonio in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.A large part of that composure came from a roster that had already experienced a deep playoff run together.New York reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025 before falling short, then returned with largely the same core the following season. That familiarity gave Bridges and his teammates something to lean on whenever games started slipping away.Jalen Brunson was again at the center of New Yorks postseason run, but the Knicks ability to remain composed as a group ultimately became one of their biggest strengths.After years of falling short, New York now has the championship to show for it.READ MORE: Should the Raptors Trade For Nikola Jokic Next Summer?
