DETROIT — Mikal Bridges had simply misplaced an out of doors summer season league sport. He was in highschool on the time, a rising junior.
The defeat left him upset and never keen to debate along with his mom the ache in his foot space.
“She was like, ‘You’re all right?’ ” Bridges recalled. “And I’m like, ‘I’m fine.’ ”
A few month later, Bridges wakened and couldn’t stroll. A health care provider quickly found he had been enjoying on a fractured heel — certainly one of many accidents the 28-year-old has masked, ignored or managed whereas creating into the NBA’s iron man.
“It’s kind of just a mentality. I kind of got that from growing up. I always wanted to play, being upset, hiding injuries from my mom and always playing through them. And then getting to college, where Coach [Jay] Wright is big on just playing through it,” Bridges mentioned earlier than scoring 17 factors in 33 minutes within the Knicks’ 115-106 loss to the Pistons on Thursday evening. “Even my highschool coach. You roll an ankle, my coach known as it a stinger and tells you simply tie your footwear up even tighter.
“So throughout my phases, I always had my personal self and then my coaches who always kind of just pushed me even more. So it was just a mentality thing at that point.”
Bridges performed in his 554th straight regular-season sport Thursday, a mark that would appear unfathomable in immediately’s period of load administration. It was additionally a related statistic in Detroit as a result of two of his fellow starters — Josh Hart and OG Anunoby — rested on the primary sport of a back-to-back.
That assured no Knick, except for Bridges, will hit 79 video games this season. Different Knicks doubtless will sit out Friday’s dwelling sport versus Cleveland as they gear up for the playoffs.
Not Bridges. He was penciled in for 82 and, barring the never-before-seen — a Bridges DNP — he’ll hit that quantity once more within the finale Sunday.
Will he pop champagne for one more 82 video games performed?
“Nah, just kind of keep to prayer and just thank God every single day,” he mentioned.
That technique is working. Bridges additionally has a excessive ache threshold and presumably distinctive therapeutic powers. Earlier this season, Bridges recalled two accidents that just about ended his streak — hand ache whereas with the Nets that felt like he broke his wrist and a hyperextended knee when he performed with the Suns.
“I was real nervous [for that one],” Bridges mentioned.
Bridges’ streak goes again to Villanova, the place he performed 116 straight video games over three years whereas successful two nationwide titles. He might’ve claimed an extended stretch if not for his highschool coach suggesting Bridges sit a meaningless contest earlier than the Pennsylvania state match.
“I think if we would’ve won that game, we would’ve had a worse seeding or whatever for the states,” Bridges recalled. “My coach knew it. And I used to be type of sick, however I used to be gonna play by way of it and he was similar to, ‘It’s a comfort sport. Simply sit out.’
“I was like, ‘All right.’ So I just stayed home and we lost.”
That was the final time Bridges stayed dwelling. Earlier this season, he cracked the all-time high 10 for many consecutive video games performed — surpassing Derek Fisher.
Subsequent up is John Stockton.
Bridges, who has performed over 100 extra minutes than anyone else within the league this season, can clearly do it by way of ache, if mandatory, like when he fractured his heel throughout summer season.
Hiding that from his mother wasn’t really easy.
“She knew,” Bridges mentioned. “She’s smart, so she’s like, ‘I knew something was up.’ ”
