The New York Knicks now hold a sizeable lead over the Boston Celtics in their Playoff series after beating them back-to-back. Both games were narrow, hard-fought battles of attrition between the teams. But the Knicks managed to prevail, 108-105 in the first, and won tonight’s game by 1 point with the final score being 90-91. And after the game, Mikal Bridges revealed where he developed the mental fortitude to give his 100% in a series against such heated rivals. It seems the credit belongs to Tyneeha Rivers, Mikal’s mom.

Mikal revealed how his mom’s grit and mental resilience rubbed off on him.  “Just how I was raised, you know, my mom, my mom’s real strong, mentally tough. Growing up, my mom just made me like that,” said Mikal. But it wasn’t just a solo effort from his mom. The coaches he had on his basketball journey also reinforced the values instilled in him by Tyneeha.

“And, going through experience, going through college, with Coach Wright in Villanova, he preached mental toughness. And I think that’s just, that really brought it out of me. I had it growing up, but I think college made it even more and established that. And just, just, it’s just who I am,” said Bridges.

You see, Tyneeha Rivers became a single mother at 19. But having to raise her kids at such a young age didn’t deter her. No, she rose to the challenge, and she did her best to give her children the best upbringing possible. She balanced a corporate job while attending college as a young adult. And all the while, she helped Mikal and his siblings with their homework. It wasn’t easy for Tyneeha, but she did it.

You see, Mikal’s entire mindset was shaped by such gritty personalities. And it affected him early on, even when he was growing up, aspiring to be in the NBA one day.

Mikal Bridges has always been the NBA’s iron man

If there were an NBA award for perfect attendance, Mikal Bridges would’ve won it in 4 out of his 8 seasons as an NBA player. You see, even in his rookie year, Mikal Bridges appeared in all 82 regular-season games. And he’s doing it even now in the 2024/25 season. Now, we just learned that his mother is why he has the necessary grit to persevere and be the ever-reliable presence for his teams that he has been.

But Mikal himself has always done his part to ensure that no matter the issue, he can always be counted on when needed. “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,” Bridges revealed earlier this year.

But once again, he credited his college coach, Jay Wrigh,t for letting his toughness shine through.  “And then getting to college, where Coach [Jay] Wright is big on just playing through it,” Bridges said really helped him retain the valuable life lessons he’d learned while growing up. And it wasn’t just Rivers or Wright, even Mikal’s highschool coach ascribed to the same principles as them. It seems whenever he rolled his ankle, Mikal’s high school coach would say,” just tie your shoes up even tighter.”  

Mikal Bridges grew up shaped by powerful influences — his devoted mom and the relentless coaches who pushed him. It’s no surprise he’s the NBA’s iron man. And as time has gone on, Mikal’s toughness and tenacity have only grown. This postseason, we’ve seen it pay massive dividends with 2 back-to-back victories over the Celtics. And even if the reigning champions bounce back, Mikal’s unyielding nature will give them quite a few problems in this series. It’s all Mikal knows after all.