Knicks need Mikal Bridges Game 6 revival to become springboard for fixing his Celtics woes

Whether it’s fair to Mikal Bridges is, more than a little bit, beside the point.Of course, it’s true that he didn’t choose to be dealt to the Knicks in exchange for five first-round picks.Nor did he ask to be a central figure in what was seen as the Knicks recasting to try to build themselves into a team that could match up with the Celtics, who will now test Leon Rose’s theory of the case over a best-of-seven, Eastern Conference semifinal series in which Boston is a prohibitive favorite.Is it unfair that Bridges, for the time being, will be judged on the results of this series and whether he can help the Knicks pull off what would be a massive upset? Arguably so.Do the Knicks have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning this series if Bridges isn’t playing lockdown defense while putting up the sort of offensive game he had in Game 6 against the Pistons — 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting to rescue what had been an OK-at-best offensive series through the initial five games?Probably not, so what’s fair or unfair is out the window.Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series.“He’s a key part of our team,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said after Saturday’s practice, with the Knicks two days out from Game 1 in Boston on Monday.

“It’s all around, all the things he brings.Secondary ball handler also, but his defense, his ability to run the floor, move without the ball, make timely shots, terrific 3-point shooter from the corners.”While Bridges’ inaugural season as a Knick has come with ebbs and flows, it’s his performance over four regular-season games against the Celtics that is the current cause for worry.

With the Knicks losing all four games, Bridges averaged 13.8 points on 42.9 percent shooting from the field and 31.8 percent from 3-point range, all well below his season-long averages.His series against the Pistons — and Game 6 in particular ...