When Miles “Deuce” McBride signed his three-year, $13 million extension right before the New Year, the 23-year-old still looked like he was fitting into his role as a key player off the bench on Tom Thibodeau’s squad.
Now fast forward to Game 2 of the first-round series against the 76ers, the youngster has been one of Thibodeau’s best players in the postseason as the Knicks took a 2-0 series lead against the Sixers.
And the contract now looks like an absolute steal.
McBride followed up a 21-point Game 1 performance with key fourth-quarter impact plays in Monday night’s wild 104-101 comeback victory.
He scored just nine points in 21 minutes in the win, but his effort against 76ers star Tyrese Maxey did just enough to hand his team key momentum shifts in the eventual win. His steal on Maxey with 8:20 remaining in regulation induced one of the loudest pops inside Madison Square Garden Monday. Maxey grabbed a defensive rebound and was quickly met by McBride, who ripped the ball away from Maxey. The strip looked like a play from McBride’s high school football days in Ohio and led to an easy layup that put his team up seven.
DEUCE MCBRIDE. 😤😤
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 23, 2024
Maxey, who finished with a game-high 35 points, met stiff defense with McBride on the floor. The Most Improved Player candidate still enjoyed a 12-for-22 shooting night, but McBride said he just wanted to “wear” down the speedy All-Star.
“Just being physical and as disruptive as I can [be],” McBride said of his play when matched up against Maxey. “Picking him up full court. Trying to just wear him down a little bit.”
Thibodeau acknowledged McBride’s play postgame and said he “thought Deuce gave us really good minutes.”
McBride’s defense turned into offense that later induced more deafening pops from The Garden crowd.
Carmelo Anthony was LOVING this play by Miles McBride 🔥#NewYorkForever | #NBAPlayoffs
pic.twitter.com/3Nc7hRqQIv— Hoops Nation (@_HoopsNation) April 23, 2024
A minute after McBride’s forced fumble, he connected on a traditional three-point play. The guard dashed past the arc and levitated for a jumper on the elbow with lengthy defender Kelly Oubre Jr. over him. Oubre Jr., was whistled for the foul as the jumper went through the rim. Former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony nodded his head courtside as he watched McBride complete another momentum-shifting play down the stretch.
He later assisted Isaiah Hartenstein on a floater to put the Knicks up five as the two teams traded buckets in the fourth.
The Knicks ultimately relinquished the lead as Donte DiVincenzo came in for McBride in the final minutes. The team needed a miracle to pull out the Game 2 win.
And the basketball gods proceeded to answer the Knicks’ prayers.
A series of wild events led to DiVincenzo scoring a go-ahead three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining. But before the madness, it was McBride’s contributions that loomed large on another night where star Jalen Brunson registered another poor shooting night: 24 points on 8-for-29 shooting from the field. Brunson also missed five of his six attempts from downtown.
“You never know whose night it’s gonna be with this team,” McBride said. “We have a lot of capable guys that can do a lot of different things. I think it just shows the grit that we’re willing to do anything to win at the end of the day. That means getting a loose ball, getting a steal, rebounding and then a kick out. We’ll do whatever it takes.”
